Someday You Will be Loved
by MelissaRose85
Summary: Sakura's past is crashing into the future, and Sasuke will have to help save her, and Konoha, before it's too late. SasuSaku eventually. Futurefic. Partial AU. Complete.
1. Prologue

A/N: Pretty sure I should be doing homework. This is the semester from hell. Eh, who cares? Anyway, there will end up being two versions of this—the safe one at and the adult one at This is gonna be multi-chaptered as well, not a one-shot. If you think I'm taking to long to update, then kick me into gear. Sometimes school makes me forget everything, and I want to update regularly.

Disclaimer: I now have a savings account! My first one ever! With real money! But that's all I have, other than some awesome FanArt files… Song's not mine either. Just inspiration.

Summary: SasuSaku, eventually. Part canon, part AU. They are adults, therefore it is allowed. If you don't like, don't read.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Prologue"

_I once knew a girl, in the years of my youth, with eyes like the summer, all beauty and truth, but in the morning I fled, left a note and it read, Someday You Will Be Loved._

He wasn't sure what to think when, after everything was said and done and he was free, but Sakura wasn't there. It seemed to be a sore topic for everyone; he couldn't even speak her name without getting a hard look. So what the hell had happened?

He was sure that the last time they had met, years ago right before he encountered his brother and learned the truth about his clan, that she was strong and still a capable ninja. Her name wasn't on the memorial stone, her house still in her name, and her office still held a plaque with her name on it. But she was like a wraith in Konoha—all shadow memory and no substance.

No one would speak of her; it apparently wasn't some stigma attached to himself. Her name was rarely uttered outside of drunken reverie, and only then to sigh about the loss of Konoha's springtime kunoichi.

Her teammates were quiet, Ino stared into the distance, Tsunade just looked sad, and Kakashi went rigid. It was as if the mere thought of her being around them was enough to evoke some unknown sentiment; he didn't know how they could seem to just want to forget someone that had once been so important to all of them.

Naruto was the worst. He would sometimes talk to Sasuke when they were alone about everything the two had been through together, but he would never say what had happened. No one ever seemed to want to give him the ending of the story since he wasn't allowed to know the plot.

Perhaps it was all his fault. He was slowly learning that all the pushing he had done only got him what he asked for: friends that were so far away the bridges were taking months to build. He had made it very clear that he couldn't be what she wanted, but now that he wanted to be her dream…

She wasn't around.

He soon pushed all the questions to the back of his mind, as ANBU missions rolled in after the jail time and probationary period. He was too busy showing that he just might not be the evil bastard they all made him out to be. He didn't need to worry about some pink-haired figment of his imagination—for that was what she had become to him. Especially since this newest mission promised to be one he was going to have trouble with; the stupid ink-user was going with him and they were going far from home on orders directly from someone very high up. It was so secret he didn't even know much other than the time to leave and what to pack.

If every pink blossom caught his eye, each girl with green eyes gave him a sense of déjà vu, or each visit to the hospital made him search for something unknown… he never realized it. She had slipped to the back, the way everyone in Konoha wanted it. But the feeling of forgetfulness nagged and picked.

_Just a series of blurs, like I never occurred…_

Three Years Earlier…

The gates of Konoha loomed large above her, beckoning her passage into a world that would be cold and unforgiving from this point on. She had her journey mapped out; a trip to Sand, followed by a trip to Moon should get her supplied and on her way. Gaara had been instructed b y Tsunade to let her stay there for up to a month before kicking her out, and she was eternally grateful that her shishou was taking her side. She didn't know what she would do if everyone here abandoned her because of her selfishness.

She just couldn't do it anymore. Somewhere in that wide world lay life, and she wanted to know what it was. Her parents were gone, Naruto married, and she was beginning to feel as if nothing fit her skin anymore.

"Eh, you sure about this Sakura-chan? You know, they want to…" Naruto flinched and scratched his head, shuffling his feet in the dirt. Sai stood near him, smiling his usual smile and supporting her in the only way he knew how. Kakashi was off on a mission, and she was thankful she didn't have to see the condemnation in his eyes. After all, those who leave their friends have to be trash in his eyes.

"I'm sure, Naruto. The council can do what they want, but truthfully, we both know they won't do anything. This isn't what they think it is."

"You're leaving the village, Hag. Voluntary resignation. ANBU will be after you." Sai's smile slipped a bit as he realized he might one day be sent to hunt her, but she still couldn't tell him the truth.

"I'll miss you both so much." It was so hard to keep them from seeing her tears, and Naruto's gruff bear-hug made her want to cry out in pain. She just wasn't sure she could do this anymore, even as much as she wanted it.

She quickly turned, and jumped off to a tree.

She was gone from their sight in seconds, and her journey began. She wasn't exactly sure what the outcome would be, but it had to be better than the limbo of the past. The suffocating air of stillness she lived in had become pervasive, and her soul was withering. She would enjoy every step she took, and she would hope for the best.

"_Sakura, I have no one else who can do this. Your mother's connections assure that this will work if you take on the assignment."_

"_I know shishou, and I've told you often that I wanted to travel like you did, but I'm not sure I can do this."_

"_Sometimes we just have to push the uncertainty down. No matter what it may seem like, I will be one step behind them at all times. No one from this village will hurt you."_

"_So you say…"_

"_You doubt me now? Have I ever lied to you! You said you would do whatever was required of you. Well, this is what I require of you! This isn't something I can trust to anyone else, even if they are qualified."_

"_And who all will know the truth?"_

"_Very few."_

"_How few?"_

"_Sakura…"_

"_How few, Tsunade-sama!"_

"_Those in this room."_

"_Hn."_

"_I know that-"_

"_Well then, shishou, you'd better not die before I'm finished. Because if I come back successful and the council tries to kill me, I'll bug you in whatever afterlife we get."_

"…"

Present Day, Aisen City

"Can you get me the information I need?"

He tapped his pencil on the desk, a rattling noise that made her nerves shake and teeth ache. "I think so."

"You think so? Is that a yes or a no, Hisadachi?"

"For you, girlie, I think I'll get it. You know we know everyone who comes on this island. And if your source said they're here for you, then he's probably right." He shuffled backward in his chair, mumbling. "Your info's always right on the dot."

She stepped away from the wall, watching as he pushed his hefty form out of the chair. He was a nasty old geezer, but he could get the job done for her.

"I don't want them dead. Or seriously hurt. Just get them off the island. Ninja show up sniffing after me, and all my connections will go high and dry before I can start passing around the money."

They stepped through the small doorway out into the sunset and the bustling back alley. Aisen's seedy areas weren't pretty, but they were packed full of real humanity. People were running around to get home or grab their kids, hoping to make it in before nightfall. The danger lurked at night, and if you couldn't fight, you didn't come out.

"Thought you said no one knew where you were, girlie. Doesn't seem that way if this is as important as you say it is." He lit a cigarette, the smoke rolling upwards into her face and hair. She would smell like tobacco factory when she went to meet with her source, but she was getting used to it by now.

"That's what I can't figure out. I fell off the map over a year ago. Went under. Nothing has gotten to me in over two years, so how did anyone know where to find me unless they were looking for me?"

"You said you had an insider's help? Maybe they were dirty."

"I don't think so." She stopped, looking up at the sky. "I hope not."

"Well, you can't trust people nowadays, girlie. Should have learned that from the beginning."

"Hn. You're too cynical. Need to even that out."

He smiled, showing teeth that were yellow from the tobacco and rotting from old age. "Well, I'm still alive, ain't I? Don't get this old by believing in people." He grinned before shoving his cigarette into a wall near his head, dropping it on the ground afterward.

"I'm sure you're right. But…"

"But what? Old Hisadachi is always right. You need to learn that."

"I thought I was always right."

"Well if you were Konoha hunter nins wouldn't be on your ass right now. You got good sources in the area, but your friends from your home seem to have sold you out. How much does a nukenin go for these days? Especially one of your caliber?"

"Thinking of turning me in for the money? Do I need to stop coming around for a while?"

"I'd sell my own kid if I had one, girlie. But you are useful. Still, money is money. And money makes Aisen go round. Hasn't that evil man of your explained that?"

"Maybe your right." Then she smacked him softly on the arm. "And he isn't my man. He's long gone, thankfully. Asshole."

"Men aren't worth anything honey unless they work for you. A woman in your position needs to learn that quick. I can't help you if you won't help yourself, Sakura."

"Don't throw my name around. It's Ame. Ame."

"Sure, girlie."

"Hisadachi?"

"Yeah?"

"You uh…" she wiped her hand across her forehead, hiding her eyes. "You believe in curses?"

"Nah. I believe in money. And information."

"You're right."

"Why—"

She turned to her left and began walking down the narrow alley to the market not to far off. She still had to meet with Ichimaru and night would fall soon. Not even she needed to be caught out at night alone. But hunters were a bigger problem than the lurkers in the district; hunters meant a leak and a leak meant she would have to move.

This had quickly become much more dangerous than it was supposed to be. This wasn't Tsunade's orders, she was sure of it. There was a reason they had never communicated locations beyond Moon. Aisen was almost a world away from the resort country, and whoever found her here was on a mission to kill her.

"See ya later, Ame! Heh, heh…"

And if they knew where she was, they knew she was still a Konoha ninja on a mission. This wasn't work, it was personal. She was pretty sure she knew where the order originated, and that meant she had less time than they had planned. She had to get the nin out of Aisen and off the island.

And then she had to run again.

_The memories of me will seem more like bad dreams…_

Sasuke stepped off the boat next to Sai, looking at the looming city before them. Their team's target was apparently here, but they didn't even know who they were looking for. Their captain had looked increasingly uncomfortable as the voyage wore on, and he continually said that they were support. He was going to handle the mission alone.

This whole situation had him on edge. Something here wasn't right, and Neji wouldn't say shit. He didn't know what was going on, but by the time they got back home he would know. He was tired of the shadow games. His life seemed to be all shadow lately.

"Anything wrong?" Sai gave him that retarded smile, and he felt the need to smack him but resisted.

"Yeah. Everything. Something's not right." Sai nodded, glancing at Neji and Sasami in front of them. No, it wasn't that. Everything was wrong, not just something. He had never been involved in anything this covert in Root, much less ANBU.

"Keep an eye on them." They shared a glance, and the feeling of changing wind swept over them.

Neji glanced back at them, making Sasami stare hard at the Byakugan wielder. Sasuke looked him in the eye and realized that they were in for a hell of a time.

They continued on through the procession of people unloading items from the boat's luggage carts, bumping into people as they went. Too many people made them nervous, and it was best to get out of the open as quickly as possible. If their target was as dangerous as this mission, they needed to be extremely careful.

They blended with the civilians, and disappeared from sight into the market areas of Aisen, the city known for its gambling dens and brothels. Their hotel was in a bad part of town, but so was the target.

It was time to learn the lay of the land.

None of the ANBU saw the pink hair flash between two buildings, entering the security office at the docks.

_You may feel alone when you're falling asleep, and every time tears roll down your cheeks, but I know your heart belongs to someone you've yet to meet…_

Well, then! Prologue finished. Like it?

Next chapter: Our ANBU get a glimpse of who they are chasing, but realize that they have become the prey. Sakura makes plans to leave Aisen, but information from Konoha gives her new realizations about her future…


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Figured I would go ahead and get this chapter out since the next two weeks are going to be hell with mid-terms. This will be the regular format from now on; the prologue was special because there was so much to cram into it.

Blanket Disclaimer in Prologue.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 1"

The four ANBU sat around a small table in a dingy, run-down hotel room, passing around take-out boxes as well as a few sheets of paper from a manila folder. The room had two beds and a ratty couch, but at least there was room enough for the four of them to sleep comfortably. Even if the bedding looked like someone had dumped trash there and forgot to wash it.

They were being given very little information on their target, but the little they got seemed to be all the folder contained. There were no more than five sheets of information in the folder, along with photos of what seemed to be Konoha ANBU members. None of them were recognizable to Sasuke, but their blonde teammate seemed to recognize them.

She snapped out of whatever daze the pictures had induced, and began passing them around. After shoving a heap of rice into her mouth, she finally began to tell them what they needed to know.

"The target's name is Hayashi Ame, around age 23…"

Sasuke looked over at Neji, who had been quiet for most of the trip. The white eyes of the Hyuuga focused on something in his own mind, and he seemed oblivious to everything the only female of the group said.

Sasuke knew that Neji had information other than what they were being given, but he did not know what it was. Their captain was being tight-lipped, even letting his second-in-command give the briefing. Who was really captain on this mission? Sasami seemed to do everything.

"… We have very little information on her, and no pictures to give out. She frequently changes her appearance and she has more aliases than we do shinobi, so that makes tracking her hard. We do know that the last time any information came in she had brown hair and blue eyes. And she was seen frequently leaving the apartment of a man named Kasuchui Reno, who also has caused some trouble for us in the past."

She showed them the one picture she had of the redhead accomplice.

"We've been trying to get her for years, but she became a priority a few months ago when she took out an entire team of our ANBU."

Sasuke looked up from his noodles; one woman took out a whole ANBU team? That was impossible.

"I know what you're thinking. But I promise you, she's incredibly strong. And intelligent. She's a nukenin of unknown origin, and she trades information for money. The team came in to kill a high-ranking yakuza member here and they were slaughtered. On a follow up mission we found out that he had hired her for the job."

"So she's very well connected."

"Precisely, Captain." Sasami took a bite of food, mulling over her next sentence in her mind. After a few minutes, she finally spoke again. "Her appearance, name, none of that is important. I'm here to take her out since I know what she looks like. What I need from you people is information. We need to know where to find her, where she lives, if she has friends here, everything about her life. I can't approach her on the fly."

"And if we find her while finding this information?"

"Then you leave her alone, Sai. I've been training months to beat this bitch. This is my job-"

"I'm pretty sure there are four of us here."

"It doesn't matter. You are support and Neji is the lead. I am the assassin for this mission."

Sai looked uncomfortable. Sasuke glanced at Neji, who had returned to staring at the wall across the room. He slowly set his chopsticks down, and looked hard at the blonde woman.

"This is highly unconventional."

"And? This is an extraordinary target."

"Hn."

"Anyway, like I said, I need to know about her day to day life. Last we knew she frequented this club down the street…" she shuffled through the sheets she had placed on the table, muttering. "Ah, Miyaki. I don't know what she does there, but she was living above the club with some others and working there at night doing kami only knows what."

They only nodded. Their questions weren't being answered anyway.

"We think she might have been hired muscle, an informant, bodyguard, something. Who knows? All I know is that she supposedly is dangerous to the village, so she has to go."

Sasami stood up and brushed her hands on her pants. She began cleaning up her food, picking up containers and plates to throw into the small trashcan provided in the room. Sasuke noticed that Neji watched her every move carefully, as if he didn't trust her or he expected her to jump at him any second.

Something was definitely going on.

"I'm gonna head down there. I'll act like a female needing a job; it always works in those types of places." She pulled on her boots, strapped some kunai to the inside of her jacket, and fluffed her hair into an anti-gravity mess. "I'll be back in a few hours. I suggest you rest. Most of tomorrow will be spent trying to get information."

The three males just stared, almost dumbfounded, as their female teammate walked out the door and disappeared.

The room was quiet, and none of them knew what to think. This was unlike any mission they had ever been on. Neji slowly recovered his senses, and looked at the two shinobi seated near him.

"There's a lot going on here that you two don't know, but I hope you trust me enough to listen if I tell you to do something. Even is she disagrees."

Sai and Sasuke nodded, knowing that Neji, in their opinion, was much more trustworthy than Sasami. Neither of the men had ever worked with her before, and they didn't look forward to any missions that might require them to see her again.

"Neji, I want to know what the hell is going on."

"Me as well. This is not following protocol." Sai didn't even bother to offer a fake smile; instead, he just stared at the Hyuuga.

"I can't tell you everything because I don't know everything."

"There are inconsistencies. I've noticed them. For instance," Sasuke grabbed the pile of loose papers off the table and flung them into Neji's face, "the Hokage's signature isn't on any paper here, nor is it on the file. Does she even know we're here?"

"She does, but—"

"But what," Sasuke ground out.

"This mission didn't originate in her office. She was only able to inform me of the special circumstances behind it right before we left." He turned to the side, once again focusing on something off in the distance.

"I'm not sure I even understand what's going on," he muttered.

Sai stood up, pushing himself away from the tiny table. "Well, I guess we should get some sleep."

Neji shook his head. "No. I'm still the Captain of this mission, and I think we could be of much more use if we went to gather some information." He looked at his teammates critically. "Any objections?"

No one said anything.

"Well, let's head out. There has to be something we can do."

The three shinobi didn't bother cleaning up their dinner, or using the door. Within a few seconds, each one had transported to the roof, and they were gone into the night world of Aisen.

* * *

Meanwhile, across Aisen's red-light district, Sakura was preparing herself for the night's work and thinking about whom she had seen on the terminal's security footage. She had recognized three of the ANBU instantly, even if she hadn't seen one of them in eight years. 

She wondered what change of fate had brought him back to his home village, but quickly pushed all thoughts of the former avenger out of her mind. Now was not the time to get complacent because a pretty face from her past had shown up. That pretty face was sent to kill her.

Now she knew Tsunade hadn't ordered the team. She would never send Sai or Sasuke to do the job.

She couldn't believe anyone, even Danzou, would be bold enough to send them after her. Not even Neji would kill her. So that meant that the female was really sent to kill her.

Her's was a face Sakura recognized as well.

Her name was unknown, but she had been sent here a few months back to kill one of the local assholes that Sakura frequently worked with. Sakura had made sure to get them off the island, but later found out that none of the team made it back to Konoha. Apparently one of them did.

But that made her wonder what happened to the others.

Not long after that, the woman had returned with a new team and managed to kill Jin, the man that had been targeted the first time. This meant that Sakura's last hope of getting any information about Danzou's shadowed boss, and getting information into Konoha, was gone. Jin had been an old friend of Tsunade from her days as a wandering gambler. Jin had dealt information as well as cards.

So Sakura had no choice but to lay low and hope to find a new way to get her information in. Which if things went the way they were now, it wouldn't matter. Leaving Aisen was quickly becoming inevitable. And leaving Aisen meant she would have to go through Wind to get to Niigata, another city full of criminals and those who have information on said criminals.

Information was what she needed.

She quickly finished her hair and tucked her sword into the holster on her back. A few kunai slid into a belt-like holster around her waist, and a small dagger went into another sheath under her pants, near her ankle. Senbon, shuriken, and hypodermic needles with various substances were shoved into a small bag on her left hip. Aisen wasn't a place to hide your weapons, even when you were dressed in a suit like she was at present. Plus, her job was to look tough, especially tonight. If they knew where she was then they might know her hangouts.

The walk downstairs was quick and she entered the loud, smoky club through a hidden entrance. Since Jin's death, his subordinate, Haji, had taken over. The place still held the name of its previous owner, but that was merely a technicality.

She carefully made her way through the pulsating music and writhing bodies over to the bar, and soon went behind it to yet another door. Haji was sitting in his office, arguing over something with one of the waitresses, but that didn't concern her. She continued on to the small security room, waving to the bulky man sitting with his feet on the long table holding all the monitors.

"Ame. Yo."

"Shin." She reached behind him and grabbed one of the small transmitters so that she could get in touch with the other members of security if she needed to. "Where am I tonight?"

He looked at the paper hanging next to his head on the wall, scanning the blocks for her name.

"Looks like you're in VIP. No surprise."

"Huh, as if I could get an easy position." He shrugged his shoulders before returning his attention to the last monitor; here there was no picture of a smoky club. Instead, bikini clad girls ran around a beach, jumping into waves and jiggling at the camera.

"Later, Shin."

He just grunted, too engrossed in his own world of female flesh.

Sakura exited the back area and walked quickly up a set of curving stairs to the left of the bar, and took her position on the second floor balcony. This small area provided an outlet for those who needed privacy while also giving security a bird's eye view of the entire downstairs area that was open to the public.

It was going to be a long night, she was sure of it.

As always, she was right on the money. Almost two hours had past, and at a quarter to midnight, nothing had happened except for a few drunken arguments. She only had three guests in her area. The two men looked to be dealing something, and the female looked like she was bored out of her mind.

Sakura could relate.

After almost twelve hours of anticipating ANBU, nothing had happened. She had been standing against this wall for two hours and no one had walked through the door that she recognized except for a few regulars.

How time flies when you're bored.

Sakura glanced at the group in VIP, and the girl glanced back. They shared a look; one look easily transmitted their shared boredom.

It was time to find something better to do.

"Hey, Shin."

The transmitter crackled in her ear, and she heard his deep baritone answer back. "Yup?"

"I gotta walk for a minute. I'm going crazy up here."

She heard a chuckle, and a smooth tenor reported over the frequency.

"Gotcha Ame. I'll take VIP for a bit if you need a break. I'm just standing behind the bar doin' nothin'. Gonna be a easy night tonight."

"Thanks, Reno. I'll be outside if you need me. I think I need some air."

She wandered downstairs and out the back door, going around to the side of the building where she could see people coming and going from the club's front entrance. Apparently, her luck just kept coming.

She watched as women and men of various looks, and various fashion sense, walked in and out of Jin's. No one caught her eye, but she did see the waitress from earlier leaving.

Then three men, all dark-haired, came her way, walking down the road. They had just exited the club on the other side of Jin's, and now they were heading inside her workplace.

"Reno."

"Yeah, babe?"

"I've got some personal company heading inside."

"Is this a good thing? Replace me already, Ame?"

"You were enough for one year." She looked to the side, contemplating whether she should tell him. He knew her real name, but he didn't know everything.

"Ame?"

"Three men, dark hair. One has white eyes. You'll notice him immediately. Keep an eye on them for me. I'll try to corner one of them at some point."

"Maybe you should just stay out of sight."

"They aren't friends, Reno. And they're stubborn."

The line went silent for a few minutes.

"Ame, can you make it into the security room?"

"You know I can. Why?"

"Then get in there." Reno sounded worried, and that was never a good sign.

"What's up?"

"Just get in there. Or get the hell away. They're asking the bartender about you."

"How can you tell?"

She heard his transmitter click on and then nothing but the beat of the music.

"Reno? Reno?" She turned to run inside, jumping over trash scattered in the back alley. "Reno! Report!" She slammed the door open, hearing the crack it made into the wood of the building. The short hall was covered in a second, and she was finally into the open space of the club's first floor.

She looked up to VIP, and she could see that Reno was cornered by the three ANBU.

"Shit. Shin! Reno's in trouble!"

Her call over the radio had five other bouncers running to the VIP, and Shin came bounding out from behind the bar. The music cut, and lights flooded the club as patrons fled the paths of the bouncers. Haji stood behind the bar, screaming about security and customers, but all she heard, all she noticed, was Neji's voice over the radio and Reno's gasping breaths.

"Hayashi Ame, I need to speak with you. Now!" He didn't have time to get anything else out before Shin and the others converged on his location and the fight began.

She watched as Reno slumped to the ground, red all over the front of his chest. _Reno!_

There was no time to think of healing him. She turned and pushed her hands out in front of her, charging them with chakra and running at the closest wall. Hopefully Shin and the others could keep them busy while she got as far away as possible.

"Hayashi Ame! Damnit! I'm not here to kill you!"

She didn't give a shit. Reno was on the floor, bloody, and they wanted her to stop and chat? The wall shattered, and so did the two walls behind it. She entered the small side alley and swiftly leapt up to a small balcony on the building in front of her, scaring a group of prostitutes that were on their smoke break. She ran to the end of wall and jumped up to the roof. Her transmitter was crackling now, but she didn't stop. She continued to jump from building to building, heading south through Aisen.

"Damnit! Get back here!"

That wasn't her transmitter. They had made swift progress. _She had always known Shin was all bark and no bite._ She literally flew across a few more buildings before jumping down into a small alley and running to her left.

Still, she didn't lose them.

_I can't hurt them! Damnit! Where the hell do I go?_

She slid around a corner into another trash-filled alley. When she looked back, the three were still on her ass. But they didn't have her advantage. _This will lead to the boulevard. It has to. If I can get across, then I can jump. They don't know anything about this area, and the cliffs can give me enough time to lose them and get hidden again._

She pushed her legs to move a little faster.

_I have to get away from them! I have to get off this damn island!_

* * *

Neji, Sasuke, and Sai watched as a wall in the club exploded, and Sai looked at Neji with shock written on his usually emotionless face. 

"Neji…"

"Damnit! Is he alive?" Sasuke bent down to feel the redhead's neck, and nodded. His wound was shallow, anyway.

Neji frantically spoke into the transmitter as Sai prepared to take on the bouncers flooding into the area.

"Hayashi Ame! Damnit! I'm not here to kill you!" Sasuke and Sai both looked at him, but soon turned to take out the bouncers. Instead, they followed Neji as he jumped downstairs and ran out the hole the fleeing woman had made in the wall.

Any shinobi of merit would go up to the roof to travel, so they did the same.

They began to gain on her position.

"Damnit! Get back here!"

Neji carefully watched as she jumped down into an alley a few buildings in front of them, and he followed.

They watched as she turned to look at them, and Sai finally spoke.

"Neji, you weren't very truthful."

"I couldn't be. I wasn't even counting on finding her!"

"What the hell is going on? What are you two not telling me?"

Sai looked over at Sasuke, and used his head to gesture to the kunoichi they were following. It was night, but surely he could see her with the Sharingan.

"You don't recognize her?"

"Recognize who?"

The kunoichi to a stop in front of a busy road, and they watched as she looked back at them before looking at the people on the main avenue. They slowed their pace, but as she was poised to jump over the road, Neji spoke.

"Sakura! Stop fucking running!"

She went still, and only her hair moved in the breeze coming off the ocean.

The three ANBU slowed down, and stopped about fifty feet from her. She slowly turned to face them, and her green eyes clashed with the fiery Sharingan.

"Sakura…"

She stared at Sasuke, but soon turned her head to glance at Sai, then Neji.

"How did you know where I was?"

"He wants you dead, Sakura."

"I know that! But how did you know I was here!" Neji glanced up at the moon, then back at woman in front of him.

"I was sent by Tsunade-sama. To stop them."

"Then you're fools. She'll kill you like she killed her last team." Sasuke glanced at Neji uncertainly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sak—"

"You think I don't know who she is? Don't believe a word out of her lying mouth. And I can't believe a word out of yours. If you know he wants me dead, then you could very well be the one sent to kill me."

"Sakura, Tsunade-sama sent me—"

"She didn't know where I was either! So stop lying!"

"I'm not!" he shouted. His frustration was boiling over. He glanced at his two teammates, wondering how much he should say in font of them, but he had no choice. If he couldn't convince her to come back to Konoha, then all was lost. It was over. "You have to come back with us."

"You think she won't kill me first? Please." Sakura glanced back at the road before turning to them once more. _How much time do I have?_ She sighed. "I can't trust anyone right now. You just killed the one man I could trust in this town. I have to leave now."

"Sakura, just come with us. Everything can be explained—"

"I can't. I'll get word to Tsunade, and I'll arrange something my own way. But I'm not leaving this island with you. If I do, I won't make it home."

"It's starting, Sakura! We need whatever information you have! You can use it to buy the council over to your side!"

_So he still doesn't know everything. Go figure. He doesn't even realize that he was sent only as a message, a symbol, to me._ _He's just a pawn_.

"I'll get word to Tsunade. But you have to leave me alone. Give me five hours, and I'll be off this island. Then you get the hell off. I would travel without the blonde bitch if I were you. Otherwise you won't make it back."

And with that, Sakura jumped over the busy street filled with drunken citizens. She was gone into the night.

Sasuke looked at Neji, hard. "You have some explaining to do."

Neji sighed.

Sai just stared after his fleeing ex-teammate.

* * *

Next Chaper: Sakura's journey to Niigata gets interesting when she is joined by an old friend. Our three ANBU find out the truth, and make it home to confront the Hokage. 


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Mid-terms are finally at an end, and before I get started on any other projects, I figured I owed a few people a chapter. I said I would update frequently, but school has just gotten in the way repeatedly the past two weeks. Even now, I'm typing this during my self-allowed lunch break from the Student Union when I'm supposed to be doing homework and during my class (because the man is boring and I am tired of doodles). Heh. Who cares? It'll all be there tomorrow.

Blanket Disclaimer in the first chapter.

Same ratings as always, same warnings apply.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 2"

It had been almost three days since she had seen Aisen City, the grimy urban center that had been home for so long. She had barely been allowed enough time to run back to Hisadachi for the emergency supplies and downloadable copies of information before leaving. There had been no time to check on Reno, but she was pretty sure it didn't matter anyway. The wound, from what she saw, was deep. Too deep for a normal civilian, no matter how strong, to live through.

She had left before dawn, anxious to get as far away from the murdering Konoha traitor and the lost memories she brought with her. That was all she needed right now: a group of her ex-teammates following her around and getting her in even deeper shit.

If that was possible at this point.

And what the hell was Sasuke doing back? That appearance deserved quite a bit of pondering, but there wasn't enough time left in the history of the world to figure that situation out. She struck it down in her mental notebook as a question to ask if she ever got to see Konoha again.

There were a lot of people who would be extremely suspicious. She had left in the middle of the night without any warning to any of her informants, contacts, or supposed business partners. Over a year of careful planning, maneuvering, and sucking up was down the drain now. Her only choice was to emerge on the other side of Suna, right by the border of Fire, and hope that she could create a believable story to give her contacts there. Otherwise, she was merely gonna be a paycheck for the next biggest hitman.

She was nearing Suna now, and she wasn't sure exactly how to pass through without being detected. She had to go into town; three days in Wind Country's deserts had all but exhausted her supplies, so she definitely couldn't make it the two days to Niigata from Suna.

There was no other choice.

As she saw the large dirty, solid walls of earth and stone emerging before her, she knew she would just have to try. She had already dyed her hair brown, and her contacts were in. Chakra was hidden, and her weapons were concealed with her underwear—because no shinobi on guard duty would look there. They were usually pubescent chuunins who were too embarrassed to do so.

She shuffled into the forming line outside the gates. The members of the gypsy groups and trading bands came through here often to get supplies, and hopefully she would be able to blend in. The line was quite long for so early in the morning, but she didn't care. Suna meant a nice, warm bed and decent food. Maybe even a bath.

"Next! Move up!"

Still, she had to be careful. She couldn't stress that enough. If she was caught here, well, they would kill her or ship her right back to Konoha to die. And if she hadn't completed her mission, there was very little evidence that she was doing what Tsunade would say she was.

"C'mon! Let's keep it movin'!"

She could feel the sand stirring about her feet, swept up in the Wind that the country was so famous for. If she knew any better, she would say a sandstorm might blow in this afternoon. But she had never spent a lot of time in Suna, and the weather patterns here were different than in the other areas she knew so well. Still, the wind-blown grains of sand dancing in the air, mingling with people's clothes and hair, were beautiful to her.

"Next! Hurry up!"

The murmurs of the crowd drowned out most of the peripheral noise, and she felt at peace surrounded in this group of faceless people. Maybe that would make her faceless as well. But her stomach kept pointing to something else, something that didn't bode well.

"You're next, girlie. Papers?"

Sakura nodded, handing him the forged civilian papers she had bought of Hisadachi the night before. She had three other versions, too.

The guard looked at her, but Sakura kept her head bowed, acting like a shy, submissive female. She had found that it attracted less attention than her normal assertiveness, especially when going up against shinobi.

He shook his head, handing the bundle of papers back to Sakura before waving her on through the small pedestrian gate.

Finally, she had reached Suna. From here on out it would be easy.

She located a hotel off the main strip, and immediately booked a room to take her first real shower in almost four days. But hygiene wasn't on her mind right now.

She exited the hotel not 30 minutes after she checked in, and grabbed a bite to eat at one of the food vendors on the street. She only had about an hour; after that, everyone would go in for his or her afternoon nap when the winds blew in.

She walked towards the Kazekage's Offices, rambling down the busy street for about ten minutes. Suddenly, she swung left down a small alley that led into a small clay-brick building. This was the one of the may open salons that Suna boasted about, used for the civilians and ninja to find shelter from the heat and still get to interact with each other.

But this one was special.

She knew that only old civilian men hung out here, and, of course, one man who spent most of his time in Suna even though he was from Konoha. This was Shikamaru's favorite hang out when he was here with his wife. On every previous trip to Suna Sakura had found him here, playing shogi for hours.

She wasn't disappointed.

No one took notice as she entered, looked around, and left; they were sure she was someone's granddaughter sent to retrieve an elusive grandparent for the afternoon lay-in. Shikamaru, though, knew her face like the back of his hand, and he finished his game as quickly as possible so that he could meet up with her.

She didn't have to wait long, maybe four minutes, before he joined her under the shaded alcove near the draped salon. He looked at her, hard and glaring, before sighing. Surely, he realized that her presence in Suna meant trouble, trouble that he would become involved in.

"Maa, maa, Saku—"

"_Kura_, actually. Careful tossing that name around, Shika."

"No one here is gonna come after you. Gaara won't let them." He took a cigarette out of the pack in his jounin vest, lighting it and savoring the slowly circling rings of smoke.

"Maybe it's not_Suna _nin I'm worried about." He shot her a sideways look, interpreting her underlying meaning.

"Konoha wouldn't, not even with everything that's gone on."

She laughed, bitterly. She slumped, resting against the side of the building.

"Really now? I'm pretty sure that I just dealt with four _ANBU from Konoha_. All Danzou-sama's work, of course."

He nodded, puffing leisurely on his cigarette. "I'm sure. Have you ever considered calling this whole farce off? Obviously, this isn't working. You two always have the most complicated ideas. It's troublesome."

This time Sakura looked at him sideways. "I shouldn't be surprised, I guess. You were always so smart, Shika! Did you… find the papers, or just figure it out?"

"Please. It was obvious from the beginning. Even Gaara saw through it."

"Oh." Her shoulders slumped. "Damn. I was hoping to be all sneaky about it, too."

"Too bad." He thumped his cigarette to the ground, carelessly smashing the burning embers with his foot.

"Well, then! You won't mind me asking a little favor." He looked over at her, his face askew with shock. "What? You think I just traipsed into Suna for no reason?" He shook his head, smiling. He had definitely missed her wit. "I have some papers I need to get to Tsunade, and I know you can do it without anyone but her seeing them. Diplomatic sensitivity and all."

"And what is in these papers?"

"Oh, nothing you need to see, Mr. Nara." She grinned impishly, and passed him the think packet. "Just get them to her, and tell her I'm moving on within the next two days. I can't tell her to where, but at least now she knows I'm safe."

He grabbed the papers, shuffling through the personal letter she had left unsealed. "Sure thing. You know, we'd like for you to give up whatever quest you're on and come home, Saku—"

She was gone into the blistering heat of Suna's afternoon. Nothing even marked her appearance, except the packet of papers.

* * *

The gates loomed above the three ANBU, beckoning them into their home village. One was just happy to have the mission over, one wanted to sit down and get a good stiff drink to let the tension out, and one wanted to be able to mull over everything he had heard in silence. 

"ANBU-san! Welcome back! Go ahead and sign in, and by then we'll have the Hokage waiting for you." Izumo smiled, showing his pearly white teeth as Kotestu vanished in a pillar of smoke.

"Ah. It is good to be home, indeed." Neji stepped forward and signed his team's designation on the graphed sheet before signaling to his team that they should all head for the Hokage's office.

They were gone before Kotestu ever came back.

The walk was quiet; it was late night in Konoha and most civilians would already be in bed. But as they approached the Hokage's office, they could see her office lights burning brightly, a beacon in the night for those searching for the truth.

Shizune wasn't even waiting on them, and the large double doors were thrown wide open for their entrance. The Hokage looked up at them, tiredly, before motioning to them. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitatingly shut it again before finally finding the right words.

"I take it you don't have good news, Neji, seeing as your fourth member isn't even here."

"We were informed she was too close to Danzou-sama. It was recommended that we return without her, for our own safety."

The Hokage shut her eyes, leaning her forehead downwards. Her hand fisted in one of the blonde ponytails flowing over her shoulder.

"She's not coming home, is she?"

Her voice sounded so pitiful at that moment that Neji couldn't speak.

"Well, was it a _total_failure? Was something salvaged?"

"We did find this." He stepped forward, setting a small package on her desk. "It was left, in my name, at the docks in Aisen. So you can only assume that Sakura left it for us to pick up. It was addressed to us, so we did open it. It contains pictures of our fourth member's last team, butchered beyond recognition. It also has a picture of her… cleaning the blood off of herself. I'm sure it is enough to have her arrested and charged."

"Sakura did her work well, then."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Well, at least you tried. I—"

"Hokage-sama, I want an explanation." She looked at Sasuke, glaring. "We had no idea what was going on, and you sent us after one of our ex-teammates?!"

"I didn't send you after anyone! I found out about this mission _two hours_ before you left. But now, thankfully, I have enough information to bring Danzou in front of the council. You, _boy_, have no clue what is going on, so shut the hell up!"

Sasuke did, although his consternation showed on his face.

"No one knows the full truth except for me and Sakura. Not even Neji. But if you want to know _so_ badly," she glared at the three in front of her, "I'll tell you. For decades, Danzou has tried to undermine the control of Konoha. He despises the hokages because he wasn't chosen to sit in this chair. But unlike Orochimaru, he chose to work much differently. He chose stealth over anger, subterfuge over direct attack."

She leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed as if remembering a particularly harsh memory. "I chose Sakura for this mission because I trust her _explicitly_. We were worried about how to pass it off, but an unassigned search for you, Sasuke, seemed to be a good enough excuse. The council accepted it, and we declared her a missing nin. When you came back, they just assumed she was dead or had defected from Konoha. Since then, she has been working to gather information, and uncover Danzou's associates."

"So this won't end when Danzou goes before the council."

"No. I received a package from Sakura, via Suna, that detailed all the financial backers she had found. But there is something she is leaving out."

She looked through the window to the Hokage Mountain, muttering to herself, "I was her sensei long enough to know when she's holding back something important."

"Tsunade-sama, we can go after her again—"

She cut Neji off. "No. The message arrived this afternoon, and Shikamaru assured me that she would be gone in less than two days. That would give you one day to get to Suna after you have traveled this far already. No, it can't be done. We have to let her play the game as she sees fit. Sakura is a smart girl."

She looked thoughtful, examining Neji anew. "But at least now someone else knows the full truth. So if something _does_ happen to me, she will be saved if she tries to come back to Konoha."

"I have everything under control, boys. Just go home and get some rest. Try to forget this mission after your reports. The information is going to be attributed to another nin that has no problems facing the danger Danzou presents."

The three men sighed before leaving the Hokages office, more confused than ever before.

There was a well-known shinobi bar right down the way from the Hokage building, and the three entered silently. The chaos inside was almost welcoming after the past few days.

"Hey Neji! My eternal rival! We were wondering when you would return to your beautiful home! Are you okay? Did the mission go as planned? Are up for a youthful competition of drinking with these fine friends of ours? They won't let me join, but surely you can save the reputation of Team Gai!"

Sasuke and Sai nodded at Neji as he walked away, almost resigned to his fate. The two moved toward a darkened table near the bar, hoping to ignore everyone else.

"Ahh, my two teammates have returned. Did your mission go well?" Kakashi winked at them, before following them to a table. He immediately requested a few more cups and another bottle of sake, hoping to find out what had his teammates so upset.

"You won't believe this new Icha Icha volume. It has to be the best ever written…"

* * *

"Hey there, honey." 

Sakura looked up from the enchanting scene across the street. Her book had long ago gotten boring, and she had already had her good laugh at Shika thinking he knew everything, so she had been watching the little girls across the street as they laughed and played. It had been much better than reading and sipping her tea.

But now she had been interrupted, and she didn't recognize this guy at all. Most likely, he was just some Suna nin hitting on a pretty girl, but you could never tell. Once upon a time, she had almost been beheaded in a similar situation.

"Who are you?"

"So blunt! Mind if I sit by you for a minute?" He didn't wait for an answer, seating himself across from her at the low café table. She scrutinized his features, but she still couldn't place him.

"Again, _who are you_ and _what do you want with me_?"

"My, such a mean woman. Here I am, trying to buy you another cup of refreshing tea, and you're acting like I'm the plague. My, why doesn't anyone ever appreciate me?"

"Because you come on too heavy." He grinned at her, and she found it to be contagious.

"Well, I come with good news, my lovely lady. I am to be your new travel partner." He gestured to his pack, which was almost identical to the one sitting at her feet.

"Really now?"

"Yes. I also have a friend, but he doesn't seem to be here yet. Oh well, he'll be here eventually."

"Who are you again?"

"I'm still hurt that you don't recognize me! Me! The esteemed friend of your mentor! Her closest equal! Her best friend! Her one and only lov—"

"Oh God, _Jiraiya_, take off the henge. Please." He slumped, his smile gone, but did as she asked.

"You know, you should have picked up on that earlier."

"I _did_. But that doesn't mean I knew who you were. Better to wait than alert the suspect, ne?"

They grinned at each other, happy to have a little company in their solitary lives.

"You know, you are a hard woman to find, _Kura. _My companion and I have been looking for you everywhere. But then I saw the most beautiful lady imaginable, and I knew it just had to be—"

Her fist cut off his words.

"Well, definitely like Tsunade, eh?"

"Have to be around you. Whoever your traveling companion is, they had better hurry up. I have to be out of here by three. I'm sure you are aware of that, though. I imagine Tsunade sent you."

"She did, she did! She was so worried about her student. But I promised to… look after you for her."

The lascivious look in his eyes made her shudder, but she looked over his shoulder and saw the most beautiful sight ever. She was so sure she would never see him again, so sure that he was gone from her life. But there he was. Perfectly ok, perfectly himself, and coming towards them. She jumped up, rushing to him and enveloping him in the largest hug she could. He chuckled, deeply, and she could feel the vibrations tickle her ear that lay on her chest.

"Reno! Oh God, you're_alive_! You're alright! How? How did you end up with the old pervert? How are you here?"

He laughed that beautiful, tinkling sound that she could never tire of.

"Ah, Kura, you shoulda known I wouldn't let ya face this stuff alone. Sides, those thugs didn't hurt me bad. Almost like, they didn't wanna kill me. As if they could."

Her tears were dripping onto his white linen shirt, but he just held her closer.

"I figured you would want your friend along, and I offered to let him tag along. I had originally gone to Aisen on a tip that you were there, and he was the only evidence of you ever being in residence. So…"

She nodded, smiling. For once, she could thank Jiraiya for doing something right.

"Well, girly, I think it's bout time we hit tha road. Gotta long way to go the next few days, and we shouldn't stay here too long, ya know."

She stepped away, and grabbed her pack. She smiled up at Jiraiya, the one man she never thought she would ever be grateful to, and set off beside Reno toward the gate.

Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as she thought it would. She had Reno, who would help her with anything if possible. She had Jiraiya, her mentor's most trusted companion. And she had Tsunade, the strongest woman in the world, rooting for her.

She couldn't let her sensei down, not after all the effort Tsunade must have put into the last day to organize this.

Truly thankful for the end to her depressing loneliness, something she had lived with the past three years, she stepped forward into the blazing heat and blinding sands outside Suna. There would be no secrets now, at least with these two.

Gaara watched as the three appeared, seemingly from beneath his feet. They exited the small civilian gate, soon becoming small specks on the sandy horizon of Wind country's vast emptiness. He had wanted to see her himself, make sure that all was as Jiraiya had said. Naruto wasn't allowed to know of her appearance until a week from now, but he wanted to remember every detail he could to send to his friend.

The blonde ninja would be especially appreciative of this missive, he was sure. His first child's birth was soon, and he was off mission status until then. Hopefully, this would cheer him up a little.

"Jiraiya!" He heard a smack, and saw the older ninja rolling along the sand. The redhead with the two laughed, holding the small woman back from pummeling the sannin.

Gaara let a rare smile grace his features.

"What are you smiling about, brother?"

"Nothing, Temari." She grinned at him, poking his arm.

"C'mon. What is it?"

"I am imagining Naruto's face when he reads my letter."

Temari's grin widened into a smile, then transformed into hysterical laughter.

"I'm sure it'll be priceless, Gaara. C'mon, dinner's gonna be ready soon, and Shikamaru has some papers we need to look over. Apparently the Godaime is in a rush to get the new trade agreement taken care of."

"Yes. I'll be there shortly."

He watched as she left, smiling at the way she kept her hand over her growing stomach. They had grown up so much faster than he was prepared for. Families, death, intrigue… no one told him that this was what life was really like.

He watched until the dots on the sand disappeared before heading back to his house, which was most likely filled to the brim with Kankurou's latest creations and Temari's brats. His life was so peaceful, while one of his friends walked to what was surely certain death.

There was nothing he could do. He has already helped as much as he could. The rest was up to her.

* * *

A/N: Well, another chapter down! I have an incredible headache from typing, or from staring at the computer for so long. I'm going to pop some Tylenol and get ready. Got a party to go to! When did they put a spell check on the document designer, too? 

It's so... something, until the part with Jiraiya and Gaara. That shows how music influences my writing. I was being all depressive and listening to slow stuff, then I changed to Stroke 9 and Stephen Lynch. If you haven't heard of them, definitely recommended. Lynch is a singing comedian that is Awesome!

And as for Gaara, who is waaaay out of character, I'm assuming he would end up partially normal. Shuukaku's gone, he is being friendly in the series, so he can be nice to Temari. Also, in my universe, the thing with Jiraiya and Pein never happened (don't want to spoil it for everyone). So, I am diverging from canon once again. I can't help it! I love the old pervert! He is such a good character, so we'll assume he kicked Pein's ass.

Next Chapter: Naruto finds out Sakura is alive, and Danzou goes before the council. Sakura and her new travel companions find out exactly how Gaara helped them once they reach Niigata.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Oh, I know this is incredibly late. But I have good reasons; life has been hectic this semester, my muse ran off to another continent, and I just basically let everything else get ahead of me. So I sat down the day after finals, when I really need to be writing my religion thesis and getting ready for my summer classes, and wrote this out. I'm hoping I can make myself stick to an update schedule from now on, especially since the semester from hell is over.

Also, it came to my attention through a wonderful message from one of the people that reviews, like, every story I write (that's so neat!!) that the timeline on this was kind of confusing. So I'm making a small timeline at the bottom of the chapter for anyone who needs to refer to it. She also pointed out a few things that she thought were plotholes, but I promise, everything is there for a reason…

Blanket Disclaimer in the first chapter…

And we're off!

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 3"

"_What would you do to save your country?"_

Danzou had asked himself this question repeatedly, hoping for some sort of final answer to his philosophical pondering. But no answer ever came. He had betrayed Hokage, killed clans, even murdered the men he looked at as his own children, all for his country. And now, his country was persecuting him, bringing him to trial for something they didn't even understand, couldn't possibly hope to shed light on.

This was deeper than a few council members, and they would never see that if all they had was Jiraiya doing their dirty work.

Soon, he would see the benefits of his work. Hopefully. With the current situation, he might not make it long enough to see the sunset before his throat was cut. He would deserve it, most likely, at least from their point of view. They had never understood, and he didn't expect them to start now.

The council chamber loomed, dreary before his eyes. But he noticed that four seats were empty, and Sasami was sitting with the missing members, at the table in front of the dais. So, Tsunade had truly done her homework, it seemed. Perhaps he had finally met his match, and in a woman no less.

How ironic.

The group looked at him as he sat, ANBU standing behind them, and their fear shined on their faces. Even Sasami, the woman he had trained from birth, seemed to have shed her emotionless mask.

He would not be the same.

He was willing to give it all to further the village, and his death was only one small sacrifice in the greater picture. He was meaningless compared to the future generations.

"I assume that you all realize why you are here?" No one spoke, and Tsunade's glower became that much more severe. "I really did not want to have to replace so many people, but apparently I have been remiss in my duties. I should have flushed you out long before this, and for that I apologize."

"Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of this meeting?"

She looked at the Hyuuga clan head, his eyes glaring holes into her own.

"You six are to be tried for treason and willful negligent acts against Konohagakure, of Hi no Kuni. Do you understand the charges, or should I validate each separately?" The six heads nodded, and she continued. "Good. I don't want to waste anyone's time in this matter."

She shuffled some papers around, passing packets to the remaining council members on the dais.

"Here you will find a list of each of the traitorous acts committed against Konohagakure that each suspect is accused of. The information, received from a reliable source in the form of a fellow shinobi, is all the proof we have at this moment. It should be enough to get them processed and held for indeterminate lengths of time, at least until Jiraiya can return to act as witness to all he has gathered."

"Hokage-sama?" Inoichi's voice shook as he perused the file, shock evident on his face from the pictures of the slaughtered ANBU.

"All the information needed for you to make your vote is included in your file, Yamanaka-sama. I would like to get this vote over quickly, as I have some questions for our suspects that cannot be asked until the verdict has been rendered in the manner I hope for."

The council's heads nodded quickly, and soon a unanimous vote for the detainment of the six suspects had been reached. Hiashi looked sick, most likely due to the fact that one of his clansmen had been in the ANBU group subject to Sasami's sword.

Good. Tsunade wanted _her _head as a paperweight.

"Have it noted that a vote in favor of their detainment has been issued, considered, and accepted. Now, as is customary for such a trial, which could involve a possible sentence of execution for each of you, statements are allowed. If any of you would wish to render you statement of guilt, a general statement, or a plea for public trial, you may do so now."

Danzou shook his head, remaining as silent as possible. This was no real surprise. So did the next man, a councilman with very few marks against him when compared to many of the others.

Sanosuke, a man in his mid-forties who had only been on the council for a few years, nodded his head in acceptance of the trial before speaking.

"I wish to make a statement, as is allowed by the bylaws of the statute that governs treasonous acts or those of espionage."

"You may speak."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I wish to make no admission of guilt, yet I also wish to make a statement that I have not, willfully, acted against my village. I have never, nor do I plan to, act against Konohagakure in a manner that may be construed as such. If I, or any of my actions, are being perceived as treasonous, then perhaps it is not I who need to be sitting in this seat at present."

Understandably, there were some harsh reactions to his statement, and one of the ANBU stepped up behind him.

"You would say such a thing to me, Kuro Sanosuke?"

"I merely say what I believe I am allowed to, Hokage-sama."

"Then, you will no longer be allowed to speak."

The ANBU quickly paralyzed the councilman, avoiding any further issues from him during the hearing.

Honestly, who called out the Hokage in the middle of a council hearing?

"Any other remarks of such a nature, or may we proceed?"

There were no reactions.

Then Koharu, who Danzou had always considered the weakest link in their plans, stood.

"Council, I would like to make a statement of my guilt, in hope of leniency."

"You wish for leniency in a matter of treason?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The Aburame in residence stared at her, and Koharu began to sweat. "I will enter my sworn statement of guilt in return for leniency in the form of a lesser sentence. I do not wish for execution."

When no one objected, Tsunade assented to the plea.

"Very well."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. This is my sworn statement of guilt, marking my actions of treason and willful negligence against my village in return for a sentence less than execution. Hereforth, I will cooperate in any form acceptable to the council, as is signified by my admission."

Two of the ANBU stepped forward, grabbing hold of the older woman's arms and ushering her out of the room. Koharu could only look forward to spending the rest of her life in interrogation and jail, but she would live the rest of short life, at least.

"And the rest of you?"

An older man, known as Hiro-ji-ji to the village's population, also stood up.

"I will enter my plea as well, Hokage-sama. I have never been accused of not knowing when I was defeated."

His smile was bitter.

Tsunade could accept a man who at least went down with some life intact. And it killed her to know that he was one of the many conspiring against her. She had trusted him, found comfort in his wisdom so many times.

It was truly a shame, in her opinion.

"This is my sworn statement of guilt, marking my actions of treason and willful negligence against my village in return for a sentence less than execution. Hereforth, I will cooperate in any form acceptable to the council, as is signified by my admission."

"Very well."

Another ANBU moved forward, and Hiro was ushered from the room in the same manner as Koharu.

"Any others?"

"I, lady Hokage-sama."

Tsunade's face grew red, as did Inoichi's and Hiashi's. They glared at the female standing before them.

"I reject this plea, Hokage-sama, as is allowed due to my status as council member. If she is truly the murderer of one of my family, then I wish for her trial, not an easy acceptance of her guilt and a few years spent in a cell."

Tsunade nodded, and Sasami looked like she was about to faint.

"But, I am allowed to enter my plea of guilty if I—"

"You are allowed your plea, yes, but we do not have to accept an allowance of a lesser sentence or the abolition of your trial. You will do well to remember that we make the rules here, and we are, truthfully, the law. I suggest you at least try for a trial, as anything less, well…it will only make your death come swiftly."

"But, Hokage-sama—"

"Do you question _me_? I, who will _decide_ your fate?!"

Sasami looked at the table, and Tsunade could almost see the tears forming in the woman's eyes. How old was she? 20? 22? So young, yet already corrupt.

She hardened her heart. This woman had murdered her teammates. She had chased Sakura, the girl who was like family to her, all around the country trying to kill her. She deserved no sympathy. It was her fault for believing whatever Danzou pumped into her warped mind.

"You, Tachi Sasami, ANBU shinobi of Konohagakure, are being accused of three counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder with the conspiracy to commit said offences, five different acts of treason against Konohagakure, and over 50 acts of willful negligence against Konohagakure. Yet, you expect us to allow you a lesser sentence? You, who would live through your sentence and be released? You are not a previous council member, nor do you have the benefits the previous two did."

"But, I—"

"You _what_, Tachi Sasami? You have the most accusations against you at this point in time. You were the one carrying out what was ordered by others. They are conspirators while you are the perpetrator."

"I do have information you would want, Hokage-sama."

Well, that just changed everything, didn't it?

And Danzou felt the world tip on its axis, spelling out his death sentence as surely as if the Shinigami themselves were in the room. If Sasami told the Hokage even the small amount of information she had, he was dead.

Unless she was dead first.

* * *

Niigata was definitely different from Aisen, that was for sure. They had slunk around for a few days, scouting their surroundings and finding out who ran which areas, before coming home home last night to rest and relax. Today was the big day. Now bathed, rested, and fed, they set out for the place that Hisadachi had told her about. Their phone conversation the night before had been short because they never knew who was listening, but it was worth it.

She now had a cover for the mess in Aisen.

Hayashi Ame had been disposed of, a fake body produced for the right amount of money conveniently place into Hiasdachi's account. She would remember to thank Jiraiya for that, someday. Money was something she had little of right now, considering she had left everything in Aisen that wasn't strictly necessary. The accounts would be there later, but she would probably never retrieve the stuff.

Money was worth nothing in a hell full of it already.

Her contact in Niigata, though, promised to be difficult. She hadn't spoken to the man in fifteen years, and he knew of her situation now, she was sure. Still, he had made no effort to contact her since she had 'defected', so she had to assume he didn't want to have her around.

Such love.

Jiraiya had immediately went his own way in town, going to see his own contacts and get whatever he could, while she and Reno had done some reconnaissance work and later headed towards a casino-hotel in downtown Niigata, right on the water. The tall building had loomed before them six blocks back, but now it was right in her face, the bright lights mocking her.

Welcome home, eh?

She already had papers for the both of them, thankfully, that would allow them access to the floor. Reno's were his own, helpful due to his reputation in these seedy circles. But hers couldn't just blare her name; for now, she was becoming her second favorite alias: Takashi Rika, a beautiful bodyguard.

Takashi Rika was known for her cutthroat policy and her skill when it came to murder. It made her cringe, sometimes, that she had to take on such personas. Still, if it was needed, she had no problem doing it.

Her hair was dyed black, but her eyes were without the contacts she had become so used to changing so that her uncle would recognize her.

And indeed, it was that easy. She had been allowed entrance, given five minutes on the floor, and then she was immediately ushered up to a private suite where her uncle did his business.

This was what her mother had worked so hard to escape, and here she was, entering the family business willingly.

_What would you do to save your country?_

Apparently, a whole fucking lot.

She could feel the curse squeezing the life out of her, draining all her energy already.

When she finally entered the living area of the suite, her eyes fell on her uncle for the first time in over a decade. His hair had grayed, some lines were noticeable on his face, but he was still the man she remembered. Severe, deadly manipulation rested under a disguise of the charming businessman, staring her down as if she was the newest lamb he would place on his plate this evening.

"My beautiful girl. To what do I owe such a…pleasure? It has been so long, as you well realize, since one of your family has…deigned to greet me, or any of my recognized relations."

"Matsu-san, it is, as always, good to see you again."

He looked at her, gauging her reaction to his presence in her life.

"I'm sure, Sa…what is your name now? I should always be careful and considerate, even if no one here would ever tell of your whereabouts. As if your eventual betrayal wasn't anticipated and, truly, hoped for in my circle…"

She cut him off.

"Takashi Rika, if you would be so courteous."

He laughed, a dry brittle throaty thing that sent chills down her spine and memories flying about the corners of her mind.

"Of course. Hayashi Ame is dead, long gone, even though your bodyguard there looks suspiciously like a certain young man constantly in her presence."

"Yes, sir."

"And Haruno Sakura, I presume, is dead and buried as well? Afraid of recognization of your skills, my niece, or of the price on your head by your beloved village?"

"Merely taking precautions, Matsu-san. I do have some sense when it comes to the…business of my ansectors."

"Indeed."

He took a long drink, glancing at one of his many guards, who soon left the room. She always had a dislike for silent communication, unless she was using it.

"And such a fitting name. Rika. You look exceptionally like her, you understand, with your hair that midnight black. She always favored the mysterious, your mother. Different was not suitable for her, and the red was always dyed to the lustrous color you bear now. The last name have any particular meaning as well, or is just for kicks? I remember no Takashi in your lineage…or in your past."

"No, sir."

He stirred his drink, watching as his niece fiddled with the hem of her skirt. She had grown to be beautiful, and brilliant, if the stories were to be believed. How he would relish having her under his control.

"Blood always wins out in the end, you see. I knew this day would come. It is unavoidable. Underneath that Haruno exterior, that shinobi honor and morality, you are still a member of the Kazedama family—"

"I would wish, at least for the present time, that certain…family matters be put aside. Payment in such terms can be considered later. I will owe you too much to argue with any payment you set. For now, though, let us talk information, and financial interest."

He nodded, gesturing to the chairs across from him.

"Sit, and tell me what you are here for. I imagined I would not see a Haruno in my casino for many more years, but here you are. I see that fate works in mysterious ways, always twisting our lives into an unrecognizable mess. Don't you agree? Feel the superstition abound, dear girl?"

He chuckled.

"Well, let us speak of your 'information,' and then we can catch up on the family gossip, hm?"

She felt her throat begin to close up.

"Yes, Matsu-san—"

"Ojii-sama, Sakura-chan. You are my niece, after all."

She tried to swallor the lump in her throat but couldn't. The noose tightened.

Yes, Ojii-sama. If you please, I have a list of names here, that…"

Almost three hours later, the pain still hadn't lessened; if anything, the lump had only lodged itself more securely in her throat. They arrived back at their own hotel, where Jiraiya was already waiting for them with some small tidbits of information.

She couldn't shake the feeling that everything was going to catch up with her here, in her family's ancestral lands.

It didn't matter, though. Everything had now been explained to Reno, and Jiraiya had all the pertinent information. If something happened to her, she could rest assured that Tsunade would still have everything she needed to secure Konoha. That had to be enough.

_What would you do to save your country?_

Would she fall to this curse? Would all this secrecy, playing the games her family had played for generations, finally catch up to her and bring about her death? She could see it now, so clearly, like a bright beacon in the night. It scared her.

She was, once again, a Kazedama.

This was the final indignity, the loss of her Haruno heritage to her mother's idiot ancestors, the criminals. She wanted to scream, to cry out her pain. But it wouldn't come. She had known, all those years ago in Tsunade's office, that it would most likely come to this. That she would be sacrificed to her family for her village.

She wanted to know how Gaara knew, though. The mention of the Kazekage's plea for her freedom in exchange for matching the yearly income of the casino had been unbelievable. She knew Suna didn't have that kind of money to throw around, but she imagined it didn't matter. Gaara knew her uncle wouldn't take the bait, as did she, but it accomplished its goal.

Her uncle now knew she had friends in high places that would fight for her. So escape was no longer impossible.

And how the hell did Gaara, of all people, know about her uncle?

Ah, well, it didn't matter, anyway.

She had known for years that it was the fate of herself or one of her descendants to die at the hands of the Kazedama family. Her mother's betrayal had left a sour taste in their mouth, and she was beginning to wonder if she had just sold her soul to the devil only to find out that he was the one orchestrating the events that lead to her deception. Her family had never had a love of the shinobi countries, except for renegade shinobi that could be hired, and their ire wouldn't surprise her.

But now she had her connection, and she had her name.

She couldn't be denied entrance anywhere in Niigata now, with the Kazedama name. Her freedom was gone, as was her shinobi status. But her movement in the city had just become unlimited.

Her final goal was at hand.

She would find out where Jin was, that fucking liar. And when she did, she would find out how he knew Danzou, how he managed to fake his death, and what Konoha's end meant for him. Because no man orchestrated the death of a sinobi nation for no reason.

Was it his former Cloud-nin status?

Was he no different than her?

Why would a small club owner care about Konoha?

She had so many questions, and while she knew more than any other playing this game, someone was still pulling her strings and she didn't like it all.

This shadow game had gone long enough, and people were playing her for a fool now. She had learned her lesson well, tonight, and she would never make the same mistake again. She'd remember that everyone in this world had two sides, and that people weren't dead unless you had seen the corpse yourself, preferably after you had killed them.

She thought of the others who had 'turned' missing-nin for her village, hiding themselves in seedy areas and dingy hotels for their country, knowing that their names would never rest on that stone in Konoha. Did they feel this same sense of hopelessness?

Were her happy feelings in Suna really just a week in the past?

"Babe? We're due downtown again tomorrow mornin'. Are ya gonna be prepared for this?"

Jiraiya looked up from the small table in the corner, pity shining in his eyes. Exactly how many people knew of her family, anyway?

"As ready as ever, Reno."

She shifted on the hotel bed, staring at the ceiling.

"You want to hear a story, Reno?"

"Eh, why not, right?"

She smiled, closing her eyes and drifting into her memory. Jiraiya closed his file, fixing his gaze on the young woman on the lone bed in the room. He could see lines in her forehead, so grave on such a young woman. It saddened him to see the true formation of another Tsunade.

He hadn't known her family well, other than the fact that her father was from a small, mediocre shinobi clan, much like himself. But her mother, well, he remembered that story. No one could forget the day the Kazedama heiress came to Konoha. Such stories had been written into legend, now, with their deaths, but this girl would always relive it and remember.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl. Her name was Kazedama Rika, and she broke the cardinal rule of her family: she fell in love. You see, she had always been a flighty girl, more interested in philosophy and life and love than the realistic aspects of life. And a shinobi, well, that was the type of hero she lived for. She married Haruno Souta, a shinobi and therefore her family's enemy, in secret, running off in the middle of the night with her young husband. It would be almost a decade before they found her and the full consequence of her actions finally hit her…"

* * *

Elsewhere in the village, ignorant to the power struggle threatening to rip his beloved Konoha apart, was Naruto.

His rival from Suna had finally written like he had promised, and his news had been more than the standard 'my-nephew-is-going-to-die-painfully

-if-he-doesn't-stop-moving-my-paperwork' crap that the redhead usually sent him.

"Sasuke, you _gotta_ read this letter, man."

The Uchiha looked up from polishing his sword, staring at his idiot of a friend. What did he care about Gaara's letter? The two never said anything of importance to each other, and he didn't see what would interest him.

"Now, you can't tell _anyone_, because people would get upset about this. Only a few still think this is all bullshit, and man, Kakashi would _kill_ us for knowing this. He still isn't _right_ about the whole thing—"

"Get on with it, Naruto."

"Yeah, but really, you can't say _anything_, because I know you know that I know you're smart enough to have picked up on the fact that it's, like, a _huge_ secret or mystery or something and that no one is supposed to even _mention_—"

"Naruto, now. You're giving me a headache."

The blonde had the decency to look chagrinned, before the tirade started up again.

"Gaara said he saw _Sakura_, in Suna. That Ero-sennin is with her right now, and she's safe. He said she had _brown_ hair, though, and had _blue_ eyes at one point—"

"Let me see that, moron."

Sasuke read through the Kazekage's illegible scrawl quickly, picking up at the point where Gaara began describing his encounter with their former teammate. He felt some unknown sensation, one he had tried to describe for the past week and a half, build in his chest.

Was this hope?

"So she's alive. What does that mean?"

"That she's _alive_ out there somewhere, at least. Duh, asshole. Don't you ever worry about her?"

"I could've told you she was alive."

"Yeah, well sorry if I don't trust _your_ instincts, teme. Your mind's pretty fucked up, in my opinion. And my opinion _counts_."

"Hn."

"Don't _start_ with me, asshole."

Sasuke glared at him, making his dislike of the conversation known. Unfortunately, though, he couldn't just tell Naruto that he had been sent on a mission to kill her just a short time ago.

He settled for the norm: annoyance.

"Whatever, dobe."

Naruto shot him a dirty look, whipping out of his chair and heading for the door. His wife would be wondering where he had gotten off to soon, and if her father came home to find out he had left her alone, well, it wouldn't be pretty.

Just what was Hiashi-otou-sama doing today, anways?

"I just…" Naruto looked out the windows in the Uchiha's kitchen, contemplating his missing teammate. "I just like to know she's _safe_."

"She's alive, not safe, dimwit."

"You don't know that."

"Hn."

"Well, you don't."

"I'm not continuing this conversation, baka."

"You don't _know_ that, asshole."

"It's inferred, moron."

"Wha-? Where the hell'd you get _that_ from?"

"Why would Jiraiya-san be with her if she was safe?"

Naruto couldn't answer that question.

* * *

So, there's the third chapter! I'm predicting, according to my outline, maybe three or four more. It wasn't even supposed to be this long! Jiraiya was thrown in mainly so I didn't have to create a new character or pull a character from Konoha that didn't need to be involved. Plus, he's one shady old man. He knows everything in the series, and he is constantly in other people's business. He fits perfectly. A lot more about him will be explained in the next chapter, detailing why he is so important in Niigata.

I'm also assuming that Akatsuki has been defeated. There is no way Naruto would have safely made it to his twenties with them still around. And no, Sakura's not some superhuman person who can do anything. There's been very little fighting. As a matter of fact, all she's doing is being _sneaky sneaky. _There will be some fighting, but she won't be wonderwoman, I promise.

As for the so-called club-name plothole, you have to remember Sasmi's position. Everything she has done has been to throw them off the truth, so she does tend to alter facts. That won't change as she tries to save her ass, either.

Timeline: 3 years ago Sakura leaves, then Sasuke returns. A month in Sand, then about four months in Moon, and she disappears into smaller cities, making her way to Aisen after building up her contacts and credibility (not covered). She drops off the radar about a year and a half afterward; she appears in Aisen while dropping off the radar of the nin informants. 8 months later, and before the present time, the first group with Sasami is sent after her and slaughtered by their teammate. Then 8 months later, at present, you have the story.

I hope this helps any who were having problems with it!

Next Chapter: Reno appears in Konoha bearing a message for Tsunade. Sakura and Jiraiya, caught in a web of lies in Niigata, draw closer to the shadowy figure really planning Tsunade's, and Konoha's, demise. Everything is finally on the table, showing who is really behind the plot, but what will this mean for Sakura?


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Yet again, I want to say a special thank-you to all those who review, since I read them and try to figure out who has the gist of the plot, who's seen through it, and who I have been able to mislead. I love reading something and being thrown a curve when it's not what I thought it was, and I hope some others do as well. Because it's about to get really bumpy as everything comes out… someone has to take Akatsuki's place, after all.

And to insaneteacup (did I get that right?), I hope you liked Danzou because all bets are off now. You think he's gonna really sit back and become a martyr? Because I don't. He'll be big in chapter 6, and you'll see what's really going on…

For Sakura's part, I recommend Passenger Seat by Death Cab for Cutie. It fits, well.

Blanket Disclaimer in the first chapter…

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 4"

"_As the blood runs red down the needle and thread…"_

A once knew a girl, she thought, innocent and beautiful and full of life. That girl was definitely not the same woman walking toward her fate now. This woman, the future of that carefree, happy little girl, was completely immersed in adjectives of a very different kind.

But she was used to it, now.

She watched as the casino loomed, grew closer, and finally, the car came to a stop under the awning, no longer glowing in the full light of noon. She has arrived under its shadow. Her uncle was patiently waiting by the door, no doubt ready to step into another car and take her to her prison.

But that was okay.

The past few days had been all she needed, enough to find out exactly where Jin was, what the plan was, and who was actually behind the whole plot. She had been surprised, almost catatonic when the truth was finally revealed, but she kept telling herself that she should have seen it sooner. No one else had the nerve to do such a thing.

It had all been such a lie. And she bought it.

How could she have been so stupid?

She sat in the new car, sleek and black and silent, wanting to cry as she heard Reno's shouts at her uncle. The silence in the car had created a din of noise, like static, in her ears. She didn't want to hear the last protests of that life, something that would hold her back. This was her future; it had been her future long before she ever made the trip to Niigata.

Her uncle entered the car, settling himself in a leisurely manner beside her, and she was almost peaceful in her new veil of misery. She could hear Reno screech the tires of the other car, and soon he had left the casino. They pulled out right after him.

His leg brushed against hers as he stretched out, taking up a good deal of space, crowding her with his presence.

"I thank you for making this as easy as possible, Rika-chan."

Her look was sharp.

"It is what was agreed on, yes? I will no longer use your given name."

"Yes, ojii-sama."

He shuffled around some papers in his lap, no doubt contracts and financial statements from his businesses, here and abroad. The manila folder felt harsh against the bare skin of her leg, and she realized that she had better get used to this.

Him. A different life.

"Your rooms are ready, as I ordered, and I am sure you will find settling into the bosom of your family not nearly as…distasteful…as you seem to think it will be."

"I will honor my commitments."

"I am sure you will, Rika-chan."

She turned, her reflection in the glass distracting her from his sarcasm and the deceptively peaceful view of the trees and buildings they passed. This was now her home. Her life. And soon, even her family.

Suddenly, she felt his grip on her arm, bruising and tight. She had to stop herself from molding her chakra and punching him through the car door as instinct kicked in, telling her to protect herself.

"You will not act so when we arrive."

"Yes, ojii-sama."

"All I ask for is some fortitude. They will not know the finer points of our arrangement, and I wish to keep it so."

"Yes, ojii-sama."

"Good. Then act as if there is some joy in seeing your family after so many years from home. Or I will make my promise of sufficient punishment become reality."

The sneering face looking at her now was nothing like his normal façade, and truth be told, it terrified her. This was his true self, and she had better learn quickly how to avoid it.

"Yes, ojii-sama. I am your niece. Of course, I am overjoyed to see my family again."

"Very good."

He shifted in his seat, literally throwing her arm back at her, and she felt the despair swallow her inside. This was not what she had wanted. At all.

"You will be a beautiful bride, Rika-chan."

"Yes, ojii-sama."

Finally, the stately home appeared in the distance before them, steadily growing closer. She had heard about this house from her mother, heard of the lovely grey brick that almost glistened in the sunlight.

She didn't see that, at all.

Servants bustled about in front of the car as they navigated the long driveway, with a few up on a grand staircase that led to the front door. There, her aunt waited. This woman looked nothing like she had expected, that was certain. A pale blonde woman stood at the top of the stairs, her small frame cowering as the car crept closer. Two children stood near her, maybe about the age of thirteen, also very quiet and small.

This was her family?

The car came to a slow stop and her uncle hopped out, presenting his hand to help her out of the car. He held it, too tightly, and walked up the stairs to greet his family, niece in tow.

"My lovely wife, I would like for you to meet Takashi Rika, my niece, the daughter of my sister. Rika-chan, this is my wife, Nanao, my son Akira, and my lovely daughter Misaki."

"It is an honor to finally meet my family. I hope I am of no trouble to you, and that I please you in my service."

The shy woman finally stepped forward, most likely realizing she now had an ally in her pursuits.

"Yes, my dear, I am sure you will be just fine here. Come, I'll show you to your rooms. You can get settled in and we'll give you a small tour of the premises, to prevent any problems with misdirection later."

Matsu smiled as he realized his wife would take his niece under her wing, making her the perfect female of their family.

"Well, I have work. Nanao, I take it everything is prepared for tonight?"

"Yes, Matsu-sama."

"Good. I will see you all later, then."

And he was gone, disappearing into the house as quickly as he had appeared in her life.

Sakura followed the small woman into the house, through a large antechamber and various rooms, before ascending a large staircase. A few hallways, a few doors, and suddenly they stopped to enter another one of the nondescript doors.

"This will be your room, Rika-chan."

And it was beautiful.

"I hope it is to your liking."

"I...of course, Nanao-sama."

How could anyone complain? The decor was beautiful, everything pale and subdued in shades of green and cream. The bed looked comfortable, the bathroom at the right large and clean… she didn't even need this.

"Please, Sakura, do not refer to me as such."

Sakura whipped her head around, staring at the woman.

"You believed I did not know who you were? I was once a good friend of your mother."

"I…thank you, Nanao-san."

"It is quite alright." The older woman moved to the bed, stroking the coverlet softly. "This was her room, did you know this?"

Sakura shook her head.

"It was. We would stay in here for hours, giggling and laughing about boys and dreams of our samurai and shinobi heroes, come to rescue us. We grew together, played together, loved together. Many of my happiest memories are in this room."

She stared at the woman's smile, wistful and youth-filled. Was this woman once like her? Happy and carefree, only thinking of the future in happy terms?

"I should like you to stay here. It would give her comfort to know that you had some solace in this world. This room will be your domain. Not even my husband will come in here, anymore."

"Thank you, Nanao-san."

"I am your aunt, Sakura. Know that not all of us loathe your mother's choices."

"You wish to ask me something. I can see it in your eyes."

Nanao smiled, embarrassed.

"Yes. I…well, how did she…"

"How did she die?"

"Yes, please. Matsu-sama would never say…"

"Akatsuki attack. While she never had any formal training as a shinobi, we both know my mother was a fighter at heart. She took out quite a few men before she finally fell. I was not…I was not even in Konoha, so I was unable to be there."

"I'm sure she was content, then. Your mother was quite the woman."

The women smiled, and the bud of friendship opened. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as bad as she thought, then. Seventeen years of obedience for her mother's seventeen years of disobedience. Surely, this was survivable.

Her blood was slowly mixing with her thread of fate, tying her to these people she did not know, did not really care to know before. But family was inescapable; hadn't Sasuke's situation taught her that long ago?

Did it matter? This wasn't her life anymore. Not for sixteen years, three-hundred sixty-four days, fifteen hours, thirty-two minutes, and six seconds.

But Konoha had another countdown to face; it was infinitely more important.

Across town, two men were having the same thoughts, in varying ways.

Jiraiya and Reno had started packing upon the redhead's arrival back at the hotel. Reno was headed to Konoha, to give them the information he now had and to hopefully raise some type of help.

He couldn't leave her here.

Jiraiya was heading on toward the border so that the ANBU and border guards already there would be prepared. He had to find out who was loyal and who was not, getting all those who still claimed Tsunade as Hokage back to Konoha as quickly as possible. It would all start soon, he knew. Sakura would buy them a little time, but it wouldn't be near enough.

Messages had already been dispatched to Konoha and Suna detailing a pre-emptive battle plan, just so they could get the ball rolling.

"Are you all set, kid?"

"Ya know it don't take me long, old man."

Jiraiya smiled bitterly, hoping this little shit could actually do what was needed to save them all. If not, the only woman who had ever mattered to him would be dead soon, the inauguration of his student an historical bloodbath.

* * *

Konoha had been in an uproar for a week now, especially once word had gotten out that half of the council was in ANBU custody. The town was on full alert, expecting some form of civil war because they couldn't determine who was loyal to whom.

It was chaos.

And in the middle of this chaos, the redheaded asshole arrived.

The gate guard looked at the redhead suspiciously, not recognizing him. No one was to come into Konoha unless they had village papers, and this man outright stated he wasn't a citizen. He had no shame, just nonchalantly requesting a meeting with the Hokage.

As if.

Hanabi looked at him again, motioning to her partner so they could box him in. He didn't look dangerous; if anything, he looked exhausted. His hair was matted, his clothes dirty, and he looked like sleep hadn't been a real concern for days.

"I'm gonna ask one more time, buddy, what's your name?"

"What's _your_ name, dog boy?"

Kiba started, not having heard that particular moniker in years. _Teasing, maybe?_

"It doesn't matter. I belong here."

"So do _I_."

"You do not, sir. I have no interest in why you wish to see our Hokage, but you must understand that no one is allowed to enter the village without proper citizenship verification."

Reno looked at the shrimpy girl who had the audacity to continue to piss him off, and he shrugged. They could do this the easy way or the hard way. He had no real preference, or anything. Both could be fun…or exhausting, at this point.

"Look, I gotta message from a shinobi, ole man goes by the name Jiraiya. I'm on his orders, girlie. Now I'm goin' through tha gates, no matter what ya try. So why no' make it _easy_ on us all, eh?"

Kiba and Hanabi just stared at him.

"Look, I gotta do this. It's important."

No reaction.

"Well, damn. Can ya get me an ANBU? They'll know me. Well, maybe. How many o' them masked freaks you got runnin' 'round this joint?"

"Too many for you to know."

"Well, how 'bout dark-haired ANBU? One was kinda creepy, one had eyes like you, girlie, and one looked like he had a stick up 'is ass or somthin'."

Hanabi and Kiba shared a look before she flashed out of existence. Reno stared at the place she had been, surprised.

"Never seen tha' trick before. Neat. Handy. Where'd she go, man?"

Kiba crossed him arms, wondering if he should just kill the guy now and get it over with.

"You got any water, man? I been travelin' for days. Ran out." Kiba threw him a water bottle from his pack and watched as the redhead drank it all. "Will ya tell me ya name now? Mine's Reno. Kasuchui Reno. I'm from Aisen, otha side of Kaze no Kuni."

"I'm a shinobi. Nice to meet you."

"Are ya all this paranoid, or is it just Konoha?"

Kiba started forward, ready to give the asshole a good hit, but Hanabi popped back into the universe with her cousin.

"Finally!" Reno exclaimed. "Someone I remember."

Neji stared at him for a minute, his eyes going wide. "What are you doing here?"

"Gotta message, man. You're leader-woman wants 'is one, I promise."

"You know him, Neji-nii-san?"

"Yes, Hanabi. I'll sign for him."

"Well somthin', finally. Now can I have your name, man?"

"Inuzuka Kiba."

"Nice seein' you, man. But I got important people ta see."

Neji walked through the gates, Reno right behind him and chattering on. Kiba stared after them, wondering what the hell was going on.

Neji, though, had no such thoughts. He knew that, whatever had brought Kasuchui Reno to Konoha, it couldn't be good. Nothing good ever came of a criminal showing up and asking to speak to the Hokage.

And where was Sakura?

Logic would demand that if Reno was here, Sakura was here. But there was no sign of her, no shadow following them, no chakra signature marking her presence. Was her absence why he was here? Had something happened? Was he even entitled to an answer?

He wasn't sure, anymore.

It didn't take them long to get to the Hokage's office; even if the man was a civilian, he was trained for activity, it seemed.

The upper level of the building was in turmoil, with people running this way and that and screaming coming from Tsunade-sama's office. Neji didn't doubt that it was Shikamaru on the receiving end of her ire.

And he was right.

"I don't care. You're the only one who can make sense of all this information. I've tried, Ibiki's tried, we can't get it. You have to figure it out."

"Maa, maa. I can figure it out, but there are so many scenarios that this could pertain to, it's unreal. This is too troublesome to just say 'go here' or 'this person did this.' I'm not that intelligent, Hokage-sama."

"Hokage-sama."

The buxom blonde swished around on her heel to face the door, and the ANBU operative currently occupying space in her office. She dropped the trunk she was about to throw at Shikamaru, sending it clattering to the floor and into the wall.

"Neji?! It better be important—"

"You have a visitor. He's a frien—"

"Lovely lady! Name's Reno. I got some stuff for ya, Jiraiya said you'd want it real quick-like."

She stared at the redhead behind Neji, and the ANBU conspicuously stepped to the side, mainly out of fear for his own safety.

"_Who?_"

Reno knew he had heard that tone before.

"Uh…Kasuchui Reno. From Aisen. Jiraiya sent me with the last bit o' info. We got, said you'd need it. Nothin' makes sense without it."

"_Should I know you?"_

"Nah. I'm a friend a Sa—, well, someone. Yeah."

Reno knew it was the right 'slip' to make.

"Then give it to me, fool!!"

The packet was almost ripped out of his arms and thrust into the hands of a poor, harassed-looking ninja by the Hokage. Reno watched the man move back to a desk, opening the folder and spreading the contents out.

He also heard his gasp.

"Tsunade-sama…"

She turned from her perusal of Reno back to Shikamaru.

"What?!"

"I…it's all…here. Everything. Names, dates, all of it."

Tsunade stalked over to the desk, looking at the lists and different dossiers in front of Shikamaru, as well as the newspaper clipping he held in his left hand. Both stared at the wedding announcement.

"How…"

Reno shuffled his feet, scratching his head with the right hand.

All eyes were on him.

"Well, that's why I'm here. Jiraiya's got tha army covered n stuff, and you can do that stuff 'ere, but she's, well…" he looked out the window to the mountain he'd heard Sakura describe to him so many times. It was exactly as he had imagined it, this Konoha. Nice place. Maybe settlin' down wouldn't be so bad.

"She's in trouble."

* * *

Another chapter down, and only two (maybe three, depending on the last one's length) to go! This was mainly a lot of filler, but you have to get from A to B somehow, right? Rest assured, chapter 5 will have plenty of the real stuff in it. I'm hoping it will be out mid-June, but I can't make any promises. I have 13 hours of summer classes this year so I can graduate in August and really start Grad. School. So, busy busy.

Chapter 5: Sakura meets her new husband, and a rescue team is sent in after her. But war finally comes to Konoha and Fire Country, threatening to rip all their plans apart.

Thanks to all those who have reviewed on both sites: BloodRuby, les-liaisons-dangerouses, nicolerogersXX, oyuki, insaneteacup, crystalteardrops, Little Piper Girl, the-lionness, aolia, KimiTien, Laura-chan, roxnroll, Lunar84, Mrs.Cake, Kumicho Yankumi, vic, Reading, Tank, Jo, and those who reviewed anonymously or through e-mail, etc. Especially Adie, who has become a really good friend because of this story and her help when I wrote myself into a corner. Now, if we could find a beta, we could be a triumvirate…


	6. Interlude

A/N: A little side to Someday You Will Be Loved, giving the story of Sakura's mother. Because I think it's tragic and haunted and beautiful all at once. Even though Rika is dead, she is one of my favorite original characters.

So take it how it is, and enjoy a little more information on SYWBL and the life that Sakura, there, has lived.

"Interlude: Possession of Your Heart"

* * *

"_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl. Her name was Kazedama Rika, and she broke the cardinal rule of her family: she fell in love. You see, she had always been a flighty girl, more interested in philosophy and life and love than the realistic aspects of life. And a shinobi, well, that was the type of hero she lived for. She married Haruno Souta, a shinobi and therefore her family's enemy, in secret, running off in the middle of the night with her young husband. It would be almost a decade before they found her and the full consequence of her actions finally hit her…"_

Kazedama Rika was born into a family of crooks, criminals, yakuza that would steal from their own children if it brought them what they wanted. She grew up always watching over her shoulder, learning to fight and kill and lie to get what she needed.

She hated that life.

As a little girl she had dreamed of heroes, of handsome shinobi that would wisk her off to live far, far away from her evil family and their evil friends. A man who was strong and good would take her somewhere, and start a family with her.

She met that shinobi one day.

Haruno Souta was in Niigata for a low-level mission, sent by his Hokage to kill some nukenin that had supposedly been working for her family. And she was sent to kill him, the man that threatened her family in a circumspect way.

They fought, ran about each other in circles for days. Neither could get the other pinned down long enough to carry out orders, and finally they met on even ground. The warehouse was her family's, used for storing merchandise that the public didn't need to see.

He stepped into the light, and stole her nights away.

She had found the shinobi she wanted in a man who couldn't kill her, who lived for her strength and the fact that she could slit his throat at any minute. He was a good man, a man offering a life she had always wanted but was too afraid to grab for herself.

She fled into the night with him.

The marriage had been short, quick, hidden from her family and everyone except her dearest friend. The baby would come before she knew it, and leaving before she began to show was important.

Konoha was all she had imagined, the perfect place to raise her budding family. The streets were sunshine and laughter, not the dark grit she had grown up with. Souta possessed her heart, she possessed her child, and Konoha now had her life.

Then, a few years later, her husband never came home from a mission. It was accepted and expected, and the mourning was altogether bleak but filled with smiles for her growing daughter. Her daughter who was trying to be a shinobi just like her father.

Sakura had the Kazedama hair, her father's eyes, and her uncle's love of wit. She was such an eclectic mix of honor and revelry that sometimes it hurt Rika's heart to see her, knowing that everything could change in a second.

She kept her brother's visits a secret, until one day her daughter came home a little too early to find the man who looked so like herself—so witty and charming with the same nose—sitting at the kitchen table.

There was cursing, and fighting, and a promise of Haruno blood. Rika worried, all the while telling her daughter not to.

He flitted out of memory until it became obvious that she would die the same way her father had, such a curious disease, and he came back to her lovely little life, claiming his niece for the Kazedama legacy.

No.

Guardianship was signed over to Tsunade, the woman who had been so strong and sure and had molded her blooming daughter into a woman—so much like herself when she was younger. Rika and Sakura, twins of different generations.

"_I will possess you, always, Rika. You know that."_

They were the last words flitting through her mind in the hospital room, when he finally lay everything about her husband's mysterious death on the table, about her generous benefactor early on in Konoha, and about her daughter's future.

She was scared.

She was defeated.

She was anxious.

Had the life she wanted, the life she loved, only served to cause her daughter to take her place? Had she condemned her progeny to the fate she escaped? What kind of mother was she?

"_I love you, kaa-chan. Saku-chan loves you."_

Her beautiful daughter, so young and innocent still. She could remember teaching her to walk, to talk, to defend herself. What had she done?

Tsunade promised.

Kakashi stood by, silent-strong.

"_She will be our own. We swear it."_

Could the Hokage protect her from these men, these people who would kill and lie for anything they could get? She wasn't sure anymore.

Her last days were filled with questions and memories, wisps of smoke through the dreaded haze of the medication. She watched for her daughter—so strong and sure and Rika all over again—but she was out trying to rescue her own handsome shinobi hero.

She died alone, with only the memories of her life and the promises of the past to keep her company.

"_You see, Reno, my mother never thought life would catch up. She was a feather on the breeze, living her fairytale life. She had the shinobi hero, she had her beautiful princess baby. But in every story there is an evil dragon to conquer, and the Kazedama dragon was bigger than any of the tailed beasts. And when the hero didn't slay the dragon, it returned with sorcery, a curse upon her lovely little fairytale. Because you can never escape blood, blood sentenced her to living the rest of her life waiting and watching, always wondering when the dragon would spring out to grasp her in its claws…"_


	7. Chapter 5

A/N: I have been a machine since finals ended. The planned interlude, finishing Home Movies (most of which were already done and languishing on my comp.) and now two chapters here. Because I want it DONE. Now. I don't want it sitting here on my mind any longer. And I hate not finishing a story.

Things are about to get a little confusing, so beware. Lots to cover in these final chapters. I had to revise my plot a little, as things were getting a little out of hand and I was getting off track. It's now fully back in my control (damn characters have minds of their own, I swear).

And to those who are upset with my usage of ojii instead of oji for Matsu, I have been told by a friend, who is from Japan, that if her family was traditional enough, he would be called that due to his age and status as head of the family. I know it's all confusing to most of us who aren't from that country, but the suffixes and such aren't cut and dry.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 5"

* * *

"_So tonight, so I lied, are you the now or never kind?"_

The dining room was beautiful, all decorated in fine crystal and silks, people mingling about the large table as they talked to old friends while finding their place cards. It was a beautiful cage to be trapped in, of that she was sure.

"And let me introduce you to…"

She heard him from behind her, and the smile was immediately plastered onto her face, welcoming anyone he might bring to her. She turned around, bowing low.

"This is my niece, Kazedama Rika."

"Good evening, Rika-san."

She glanced at him before lowering her eyes. She felt her blood boil, but she just clenched her fists that much tighter in the fold of her evening gown.

"Jin-sama."

"It has been some time."

"Indeed."

"You will be a lovely bride, I am sure of it."

"Indeed she will, my friend. You will be a very lucky man," Matsu interjected.

"She looks just like her mother. Even her name. My, it's like seeing a ghost!"

The two men laughed with each other, her uncle taking her arm and escorting her to the place beside her aunt at the table. He was all that was gentlemanly to them, pulling out chairs and making sure they were seated and cared for. Her aunt just smiled a little, putting her hand on Sakura's right arm.

"It will be fine, I promise," she whispered.

Sakura just nodded.

Thankfully, she wasn't sitting near her soon-to-be husband. He was near her uncle at the other end of the table, where the men where discussing their business interests. They were with the women, who all seemed to be too afraid to do more than whisper to each other.

Yes, what a pretty little cage she had found for herself.

Dinner went smoothly, with no major problems and very little to upset her. There was talk of fashion and jewelry, even talk of some handsome man who was attending the party, but all was kept to a low volume and out of the range of the male's ears.

Tonight marked the beginning of a new merger, a merger she was a main part of, which would be announced over dessert. Jin's shady business dealings would combine with her uncle's, and she was the offering, the sacrifice.

She had to remind herself she had agreed to it.

She glanced down the long table out of the corner of her eye, seeking Jin. This man had done so much to destroy her life for such petty reasons. And now she would be forced to marry him, to live with him, to capitulate to his every demand or face punishment.

And her uncle was very creative.

Her display of insolence earlier—over a wardrobe change—had resulted in threats on her cousins, children she didn't know but wouldn't dare let him harm if she could help it. And what was worse was that he knew it. That didn't mean she thought the threat to his own children to be an empty one. There was no real way to tell what he was capable of. He was a Kazedama, after all.

There was a tinkling of glass, a spoon against a cup. Everyone went silent.

"I thank you all for being gracious enough to attend this little affair tonight."

There was a requisite round of thank-you's and other generic replies, mere accompaniments to her uncle clearing his throat.

"This is a very important night, you see. Tonight marks the beginning of a new era for the Kazedama enterprise. For years we have worked toward a merger of the major powers in this fair city, and it will finally happen."

The applause echoed around the room, silencing Sakura's disagreeing thoughts.

"But it is not the only new relationship forged on this eve. For tonight we welcome one of our own, a lamb that had been herded from the flock, who has returned to us. She is welcomed in the seat of her family, into the love of her equals, and she will be the future of us all. My dear niece, so much like her beautiful mother, will be the status of this merger."

All eyes turned to Sakura, and she stood at her uncle's command. He walked around the table to her, gently gripping her upper arm and leading her to Jin, who was now standing up near his own chair.

"You see, this merger will be a merger of families, wed to each other and tied forever. With this, we will finally see all of our hopes for our city come true."

Everyone stood, applauding and congratulating the new couple. Sakura smiled, and thanked each person who came up to her with well-wishes in their mouths and greed in their hearts.

The chaos only lasted a few moments, though, before everyone wandered back to their seats, awaiting the grand finale of the night before retiring to the large receiving area.

"But, I have one other surprise, something I have formulated just for tonight. I hope it will be grand enough that you appreciate it, as it has all been done for your benefit."

She glanced around.

Her heart began to race, her intuition spiked. She could feel bile rising in her throat, fear seeping into her bones. How could she be so blind? Where was her training when she needed it?

She should have noticed sooner. Now she realized it. Men had slowly been filtering into the room, standing near the sides in tuxedos and the uniforms of the servants. Each was standing silently, almost tense.

"You see, I have learned many things in my years of heading this corporation."

Her uncle motioned for a servant, who soon had his wife removed from the room. He nodded at Jin, who stepped behind him, arm around Sakura the entire time. Whether it was to keep her safe or prevent her from running, she wasn't sure.

Those at the table stared at the approaching men in horror, glancing to their host now and then, trying to gauge their chances of escape. But there was no hope, no chance. The noose had been tightened in a way that ensured their demise.

"One of the many lessons I had to learn was how to pick your battles. And how to fight those battles."

The men in the shadows stepped forward, surrounding the table.

"Many of you have not been honest with me. Many have been scavengers in my life, sucking everything out that you could. Some have merely hung on to my success, using it for your own gain. _We Kazedama do not take so kindly to such cowardice."_

The malice in his voice gave her the chills.

"Now, though, there is a new beginning. One with the shining future brought from future generations, new conquest, and golden ambition. One that you have attempted to quash with every breath and every action you have taken against me."

His smile was dangerous.

"You will do so no longer."

The screaming had barely begun when Jin whisked her out of the room through a door to the kitchen. Servants and caterers scattered, terrified by the shouting and gurgling coming from the dining room. They knew the Kazedama head well enough, and they knew what had just occurred. No one wanted to be caught in the confusion.

By the time they made it outside she could hear the screams dying off, but the images were finally implanting themselves into her head. How could she sit by while this happened? Granted, she could care less about a room full of criminals, but how could she be silent?

"They deserve it, you know."

He was so sure, so arrogant. Almost forty people had just died for him, and he could care less.

"Did you think that being installed in your family's good graces meant the end of your career? I hope you were not that naïve. You were not that naïve before, Ame."

"I didn't think he would use a dinner party…our engagement party."

Her upset was beginning to filter into her words. Her emotions were showing. Jin frowned at her, guiding her to a stone bench near the path to the gardens.

"Always use what one would least expect, hm?"

Jin laughed.

"You always were so cute, so innocent. No matter what I asked you to do, everything was still shining hope and brave sincerity."

"You're sick."

"No, I'm smart. I know how to survive. Something your Haruno ancestors apparently never mastered nor instilled into you."

"You know nothing about me, not really."

"Hm?"

"You heard me."

"I heard a young girl, trapped in illusion. You will have to wake up soon, you know. I am your future. Everything else is the past, not even worth perusal."

"Do you think, then, that you will survive seventeen years with me in your house? If my career is not over…"

"You will not even think it, if you value the lives of your friends, your little cousins, everyone who ever meant anything to you."

He turned a little circle in front of her, gauging his surroundings. When he looked at her again, his smile was bitter, filled with loathing.

"How does it feel, Sakura? To know you've been merely a pawn in my game rather than ruler of your own?"

* * *

"Hokage-sama, we have counted thirty-six missing shinobi, and none of the ROOT members have reported in days."

She slammed her hand down on the table, cracking the wood underneath her fingers.

"I want to know where they are. _Now._"

The ANBU nodded before zipping out of existence, and she sighed, settling into her chair. The redhead and Shikamaru had been bent over the table in her private office for hours now, one piecing together an attack plan and one explaining each detail of Sakura's think packet.

Although, now it could just be called the 'evidence.' No thinking needed anymore.

All the connections were there, and she had to wonder how Sakura was taking it. It was one thing to realize that Danzou had been pulling the strings on his own for so long, but to find out that he had been using the Sandaime…

She knew that the Sandaime had made some difficult decisions. She knew about the Uchiha massacre, as did Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura now knew as well. But finding out that he had left so much undone, so much to be loosely interpreted by Danzou. And that this was the result…

She held up the newspaper clipping Reno had brought with him. A shining picture of her star pupil and a man almost twice her age, both smiling over glasses of wine. She saw that Sakura's smile didn't reach her eyes, didn't light her face up like they used to.

Still, she had grown so beautifully. Her Sakura had become a beautiful woman in the past few years, and she looked so much like her mother with that dark hair that Tsunade could still hear Haruno Rika on her deathbed, almost begging for them to protect her little girl.

Her dream-child.

She had been a horrible mother to her. She had sent her into such dangerous situations, forcing her to grow up so quickly, even before she truly understood what life was about. Had Sakura ever really loved? Had she experienced that rush of hormones that came with love's first kiss, with the thrill of the first date, first touch? Or had she only known blood and death, shinobi bloodlust?

Her mother had fallen to the Kazedama disease, the thrill of the fight and need for bloodshed. She wondered if Sakura would as well. Had she done what was necessary, what was right?

Her door was thrown open, and the anger coming from the intruder was palpable.

"It's done, even though it isn't like it gets us anywhere now. We might have just made 'im that much more powerful a symbol."

"Ibiki, he killed that girl. _From a jail cell._ Not that I would have let her live, but the fact that he still held that much power made his death a necessity."

"Well, he's dead."

He crossed his arms, staring her down.

"Any news?"

She sighed, swiveling around in her chair to look out the window.

"No. Not yet, at least. Gaara has moved his troops to the border, and Jiraiya said that he doubted they would do anything without some sort of go ahead."

He nodded.

"Either way, we're prepared. We know where they're hiding, what they have, where they have it, and what they know. They'll be dead soon. The evacuation of the civilians is really just to ensure there are no casualties we don't need."

"Hn."

"Don't grunt at me, Ibiki."

"Ma'am."

She shook her head clear, trying to focus on the reason he was here.

"The body?"

"Destroyed. ROOT can't get a hold of it, now."

The office was silent for just a few moments, the only sound filtering in from the chaos outside the office.

"And Danzou?"

"Locked away so tight in ANBU HQ that no one can get to him. He waits on you."

"I'll deal with him later. Right now—"

"Tsunade-sama—"

"Can I go a few minutes without an interruption, please!?"

She swung around to face the door, and her jaw almost dropped. Ibiki bowed swiftly before making his way to the door around the newcomer. He glanced in his direction, shook his head, and then disappeared outside the large double doors.

"I assume you've heard," she said dryly.

He just stared at her, his one eye narrowed in anger.

"Seems like everything's just flying out of this office, these days," she muttered before moving back to her chair and her desk, covered in paperwork and odd battle plans, "I'll be damned lucky if anyone around this place ever learns to keep a secret for longer than an hour."

"I was responsible for her."

"Would you like to see the wedding announcement? I assure you the picture is quite—"

"I have beaten myself up over this for three years, wondering where I went wrong, why two students decided to turn their backs on everything I taught them. _I haven't allowed myself to even speak her name._"

"Kakashi, it was secret until just a few days ago. Only Gaara knew even enough to keep her from an execution. No one knew anything until all this started happening…"

He threw the newspaper clipping at her, fury crackling around him. She almost felt a need to call for ANBU; she had never seen Kakashi show any true anger. Hell, she hadn't seen him show anything true, ever.

"You think that's enough to keep us from having some say about this? You know Naruto and Sasuke will be out of here in a minute to save her, so will Sai. And I'll be with them."

"And that's fine. We already have an operative in the area working to find any chinks in the security around her. But I don't think you realize what, exactly, she's done."

"She's done what you asked of her. She's done what you promised her mother she would never do."

"What was I supposed to do, Kakashi! Was I supposed to sit back and watch as Konoha fell around us, or did I do the right thing in sending in the one person I trusted with the job!"

"You should have told me."

She sighed, her head dropping almost to her chin. They were getting an audience; Shikamaru and Sakura's redheaded friend were watching, as were Shizune and Kotetsu. At this rate all of Konoha would know by sundown.

"I am _still_ Hokage. My word is _still_ law."

He nodded, poofing into smoke and out of her office.

She looked up at the sound, seeing Shizune and Kotetsu standing at the door. Shizune had a look of utter shock on her face, staring at her as if she was unrecognizable. She dropped to the floor, gathering a pile of papers up that she must have dropped at some point, before running off in the other direction, sniffling. Kotetsu pulled the doors to, silently.

"Damnit all!"

Her scream was punctuated with the sound of her nearest sake bottle crashing against the wall and thudding to the floor in pieces.

In another area, deep beneath Konoha, Danzou sat in his cell. His operative had managed to take out Sasami, but he hadn't heard anything after that. ROOT was already in position he was sure, but whether or not his second-in-command had made it free was something he did not know.

How could the revolution occur without guidance?

"_That was when I ruled the world…"_

He had no clue of what Tsunade knew, he didn't know if Sasami had given them anything before her death, didn't know what Tsunade little bitch operative had found.

He had nothing to go on, nothing to do other than sit in this jail cell and wait for the Hokage to bring her condescending self down here, most likely for his personal execution. That was fine.

He held no fear of death.

He only feared that she would win the game. That Konoha would continue to be this soft, slovenly village formed from her peaceful antics. They were ninja, and she did not seem to understand this. They were tools of war, built for death and carnage.

Locks clicked down the corridor, and he heard someone scream.

This place had never scared him, still didn't. This was his domain, his place of rest. He had a hand in building this jail, knew every corridor, every cell, every chance of freedom. He built it too well, obviously. He doubted his operatives could get another man in, which meant he would die here.

"Danzou-san?"

"Hai, ANBU-san," he sighed, turning toward the voice in front of his cell.

The hall was dark, and nothing reflected in the light. The ANBU kept to the shadows, hidden, trying to instill a sense of fear into a man who didn't know the meaning of the word.

"Hokage-sama has sent word. She will be down in a few hours to speak with you."

He laughed, a dry cynical noise that startled a rat in the corner into scurrying between the bars.

"Indeed. I'm sure we will be talking, ANBU-san."

"_Just a puppet on a lonely string…"_

His soft voice echoed in the darkness.

* * *

A/N: Look underneath the underneath people. Kakashi commands it. He also commands that I find a beta, but it hasn't worked well so far.


	8. Chapter 6

A/N: Told you, I've been working hard. I wanted to get these chapters posted all together, so that they made sense. This chapter has a lot to take care of, so there will not be just the two parts (Sakura and Konoha). It will most likely have to be in four parts, just to cover everything that needs to be covered. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. Hopefully, anyway.

And thank you to all who review, rate, etc. Your feedback is very welcomed, and it at least lets me know that someone looks at this stuff.

Also, at the bottom of this chapter is a list of all the songs I've used as musings for the chapters, inspiration, or even quoted. So you can see the mood for each chapter. The music enhances it to an unbelievable point I think.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 6"

* * *

"_Come and Rescue me, only you can set me free…"_

Yamato flew across the buildings, hopping from roof to roof with a speed that almost made him invisible to any that would look for him. He was a blur, a figment of the imagination.

He had never been to Niigata before, and he hoped to never come back. He was not the type to like the big city, preferring to spend his time near forests. While this was, in some part, due to his Mokuton jutsus, he also just cherished the life of trees. The beauty, the serenity.

The casino had yielded nothing to him, no information, not even a glimpse of his former teammate. Gaara was adamant that it was the correct place, so most likely she was not being kept there.

So he moved on.

He hopped down to the street, the buildings becoming much more sedate and spaced out as he moved into the outskirts of the city. He used backyards to keep off the streets, even though no one would recognize him as a ninja right now.

Trees, his protection, were finally beginning to appear around him, and he used them for his cover and his travel.

There was a clicking over his earpiece.

"Ahh, do we stay where we are or converge on the location?"

He shook his head, pushing the small button on his earpiece as he continued to hop from tree to tree in what was becoming a small forest.

"Do not go near the house. Continue to observe."

"Hai."

His clone clicked off the frequency, most likely returning to staring at the grey structure he knew was hidden in the dense trees up ahead.

The ocean near them flashed in and out of existence between the trees, a far off sparkle through the blurring green and brown. It was really a beautiful place to hide such a haunting relic of a family.

He knew little about the Kazedama family, having never been one for gossip. He knew they were criminals, Sakura's ancestors on her mother's side, and that they were currently holding her captive. In a way.

When Tsunade informed him of his teammate's decision and the truth behind her resignation from the village, he thought he would have to go and kill something. It was comparable to him going to Orochimaru for information. It was stupid, mostly. And infuriating.

What upset him the most, though, was that no one had really been there to help her. They had always been a team, even if it was a crazy one. More members than needed, two sensei, traitors and demon vessels and ROOT members.

But they were a team.

They were supposed to support each other, not push everyone away. Without the support mechanism a team provided, most shinobi were dead in the water. He knew Sakura was strong, but she needed her friends as much as they needed her.

"Aah, there's movement in the gardens."

"Servants? Guards?"

"No. Two older men. One female. Not the target, either."

"Continue to observe. Do not move in. We can't do anything until backup arrives. We have no idea how many guards he has in that house, and he is known to hire nukenin for protection. I will not be strong enough on my own."

"Wakarimashita."

The clone's voice disappeared from his ear again, and he increased his speed a little more. It would be worth it if he could just get a glance at her, make sure she was alright. Even though he doubted he could take all the security in the house, he would try to if he thought she was in danger.

He still couldn't see grey brick. But he willed it to appear in front of him soon.

"Target sighted."

He stumbled, almost falling off the branch he had just barely landed on, before stopping and resting a hand against the tree.

"Where?"

"Second floor, balcony. Near the gardens on another wall of the house. Two children with the target. Do we try to make contact?"

He hesistated to give an order.

"_Only you can set me free…"_

"Do we contact?"

He sighed.

"No."

He continued on to the next tree, his speed the fastest he could go without assuring that he would be too tired to fight later, if needed.

"Do not contact. She will have to be alone when we finally do try to let her know I'm here."

"Hai."

He continued on, hoping the house would appear in front of him soon.

"Aah, well it wouldn't have done much good anyway. The target has moved inside, I repeat, I no longer have a visual."

He sighed.

"Keep an eye on the entrances, try to see if there is any movement. We have to stay with her no that we know where she is."

He slowed down just a little, fatigued with the running and the whole situation.

* * *

Akira and Misaki sat near her on the balcony of the second floor living area, Misaki playing a haunting melody on a small violin.

There was a breeze, most likely from the grey clouds sweeping in from over the ocean. Leaves flew about the gardens below them, whispering and colliding with her aunt soft voice and her uncle's bellows at Jin.

She strained to make sense of what they were saying, but all she could really hear was the changing of voices, the echoes of a shout or a curse. Most likely she was the topic of discussion, something that scared her and made her keep the children as close to her as possible.

"Did you like it, Rika-nee-san?"

She gave her cousin a soft smile, nodding slightly.

"It is very beautiful."

"Akira bought the music for me. He said…he said that it would suit me."

Her brother blushed, turning away to hide from the two females. It made Sakura so happy to see that these children, who could have turned out to be monsters, were unaware of the malice in their family.

Well, maybe not unaware.

They knew what went on in the house, but their mother had worked so hard to keep them sweet, innocent as children should be. Neither one even showed a small sign of killing intent, not even like her mother, who always had two very different sides of her personality.

Kazedama versus Haruno. Dangerous versus dependable.

Akira swung around to face them again, a smirk playing on his still-chubby face. He pointed at the television inside, indicating a television program he loved.

"I'm going inside, guys."

Sakura nodded, and Misaki sat her violin in its nearby case softly. She scooted next to Sakura, almost snuggling to her.

"Rika-nee-san, will you stay with us?"

There were tremors in her voice, and Sakura couldn't deny her anything.

"You will always be with me, Misaki-chan."

The fight below them grew even louder, and Sakura moved to take Misaki inside with her brother, but they were interrupted by the appearance of Nanao. She slipped through the open balcony doors as silently as a wraith, gathering her slight jacket about her.

"Rika-chan, we are taking the children into town. Matsu-sama and Jin-sama have business to attend to, and I would rather the children not…well…"

"I understand, Nanao-san."

"Ah, well, then, maybe we should get going. Do you all need anything before we make our way downstairs?"

Misaki ran to her room to gat her coat, followed closely by her brother. They were gone and back before the two women had time to shut the balcony doors and put the violin case in its place on the shelving near the television.

"We're ready, okaa-san, nee-san!" they chirped in unison.

The ride to a small marketplace in Niigata was smooth, taking almost an hour but proving to be entertaining with the children out of the house where they felt they could really act their age.

Akira's jokes gave the trip a light atmosphere, and Misaki bubbly cheer let them all relax and enjoy the outing.

They sifted through a local foods market, then an antique shop that Nanao loved to look in. The children found a toy shop nearby, and begged to be allowed to look inside and pick out a toy for the ride home. The women swiftly agreed, handing each of them some ryou before they escaped into the crowd.

Nanao stopped before a large bureau, mostly made of a dark wine-colored wood, running her hands along it.

"I like this piece."

"Why do you not buy it then," Sakura snorted, "I'm sure _Matsu-sama_ can afford it."

Nanao looked horrified.

"Oh, no! He would never allow anything secondhand in the house. Unless it was in the house before he became the heir. He says that if we are wealthy enough to afford good furniture that it should be new, not used."

"I knew he had no style."

The women smiled at each other.

"You could always decorate your own house, Nanao-san."

She laughed.

"How would I do that?"

"Leave him," Sakura whispered, glancing around to make sure the bodyguards at the entrance to the store didn't hear them.

"Sakura," Nanao whispered, grasping her arm and pulling her to another piece of furniture, acting as if it was the most important piece she had ever seen, "do not say such things. I am unable."

"I would help you."

She looked at her niece, this brave woman willing to face everything.

"He would find me," she muttered.

"No."

Nanao looked at her, a new light in her old eyes. She was aware that the past weeks had brought a new resolve into Sakura, the resolve to get away from this sentence place on her head. But escape? It wasn't possible, not with the Kazedama family.

"We shall see?"

"If he was not there to stop us, who would? He has killed most of his associates."

Nanao's little smile faded as she recalled the dinner a few nights before.

"Someone will come for me. I have friends that, once they know where I am, will not leave me here. And I will not become his martyr."

"We shall see, niece."

They smiled at each other, moving on through the store. The rest of the trip was spent gauging pieces of furniture and whispering with each other, hope finally building in their captive hearts. This was family, and Sakura would not leave them behind. She continued to promise it to them, silently, this elusive freedom they all sought.

"_I will remember Decembers of love…"_

* * *

"Danzou."

"Tsunade-sama."

The Hokage moved aside to let the ANBU unlock the door of the cell, moving inside to secure him before allowing her to step near him.

"We know you gave the order, you realize."

"I know nothing, Tsunade-sama. I have been here for over a week, now."

She smiled, sneering at him.

"We have caught your operative. We caught him before he ever reached her, but unfortunately, he was able to carry out his orders. Since, we have not seen any of your ROOT members, but we do know where they are."

He kept his head high, looking straight into her eyes. Fear was not an emotion he knew, and he wouldn't show it to her.

"Kabuto is dead, Danzou. Your great plan is in ruins."

He felt a twinge inside, somewhere deep in his soul, but it never showed on his face. The world continued to swirl into a haze, but he stood proud and tall, sure that he was doing the right thing.

"We know everything. All of it. Did you think we would not find out?"

"I think nothing, Tsunade-sama."

"I am sure of that, at least," she snorted, pacing the small cell.

"You have some choice in this matter, Danzou. Public or private? Here, by me, or by someone else?"

He stared at her.

"Please, make this at least somewhat easy. I have a civil war about to break out that needs to be taken care of."

There was no humanity in his eyes, at least not that the ANBU could see. He looked cold, dead already.

"I would prefer it be private."

"Very well." She stopped pacing, hanging her head and staring at the floor. "May I ask why? Why I am such a threat to you?"

"If you do not know, then I hope you are prepared to fight this war a thousand times over before your own end."

She sighed, looking up at him.

"Jealously is such a petty emotion, Danzou."

He just looked at her, a small smirk finally showing on his face. She could believe whatever she wanted, and if she thought his greed was at the heart of this, then he would let her be. It was obvious she never really understood what it was to love a country so much you would die for it.

"Very well. Anything you would like to say first?"

He looked at her, so naïve and young in his eyes, still only a girl. She had always been that girl in his eyes, never the woman she was underneath that mask of hers.

"No. Just," he paused, wondering if his dignity was worth it, "I would wish for Sasami to be buried. I understand if you will not put her on the stone, but at least give her a proper burial."

She was worth it. She who had served him so faithfully, taken everything he said as truth and light in her dark world.

The Hokage smiled, nodding.

"She was much like you when you were her age. Naïve, young, willing to follow anyone who would lead." He stared at the Hokage, his back straightening as much as his feeble body would allow. "She was my best soldier, the best of the children I created. I only wish her peace in the afterlife."

Tsunade nodded again, turning around to motion at a sentinel ANBU near the door of the cell. He nodded, stepping into place next to her.

"Sato Arata, ANBU master Danzou, you are hereby sentenced to execution for your crimes against Konoha, crimes including treason, willful acts of negligence, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, theft, and battery. Do you answer to these crimes?"

"Hai."

"Your sentence of execution will be carried out in a private manner by the Hokage, the Godaime Tsunade-sama, myself, at 9:45 on October 19th. Do you object to this declaration, or is this the manner and method you chose?"

"Hai."

"Then, may the Kami have some mercy for you, as we in Konoha shall not."

Tsunade was lightning-quick, pulling a ceremonial ANBU blade from behind her and killing him in one slice, straight to the neck. He slumped in between the two ANBU who were holding him, and finally, as his heart stopped beating, he was laid on the bed in the cell.

"You will destroy the body. Fire, preferably."

The ANBU nodded, turning and starting the sequencing for a medium-sized fire jutsu before she was able to set the sword down and leave the room.

The ANBU that had been playing sentinel at the cell turned and followed her, his pace quickening to catch up to her. The mask was untied, sliding down his face to meet his hand.

"Now can I go get Sakura-chan, baa-chan?"

She turned to look at him, shaking her head. Another ANBU came up swiftly behind them, carrying the now-clean ceremonial sword. His mask was already off, tied onto a loop at his waist, and he smacked Naruto in the back of the head.

"There was an execution just now. Have some patience."

"Teme, I'm not leaving here there."

"We won't."

"So can we go get her, then, baa-chan?!"

"No, baka. We still have one more thing to take care of in the name of Konoha. We have a war to finish."

Their pace quickened, hurrying along the corridor to reach the elevator that would take them up and out of the depths of hell and into their city. The city that would soon be under complete attack.

* * *

A/N: Look there! Two chapters and an interlude in one week. I have worked on these, trying to make sure everyone got an update. There should only be a chapter left and the epilogue, but those will both probably be twice as long as the normal chapters.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

(As yes, a little of the plot against Konoha still needs to be revealed…)

Songs for the Chapters are:

P. "Someday You Will Be Loved" Death Cab for Cutie

1. "I Ran" A Flock of Seagulls

2. "On the Edge" Tokio Hotel and "Do it Again" Stroke 9

3. "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" Death Cab for Cutie and "Fashionably Uninvited" Mellowdrone

4. "Someday You Will Be Loved" and "Passenger Seat" Death Cab for Cutie

I. "I Will Possess Your Heart" Death Cab for Cutie

5. "Here's to the Night" Eve 6 "Viva la Vida" Coldplay

6. "Rescue Me" and "Scream" Tokio Hotel and "Decembers of Love" Imogen Heap

7. "Realize" Colbie Caillat and "Paranoid Android" Radiohead

E. "Someday You Will Be Loved" Death Cab for Cutie

"Viva la Vida" is sooo Danzou's anthem. Listen to it. And it should be obvious what band really plays as my muse for this story. Because without them, the idea would never have been born.


	9. Chapter 7 Part I

A/N: First, I owe all those who read this story an apology. I had promised that I would have a chapter out by the beginning of August, but real life tends to intrude upon the best-laid plans. There were family problems, a death in my family, a vacation to finally see my mom who is half a continent away, and I graduated university, which meant tons of prep to finish graduate school. So I've been a busy bee, and just got time the past few days to even sit still for a while.

Anyway, only this and the epilogue to go. Chapter 7 might have to be broken into two due to its length, but we're there! Almost done! So, thanks to all those who have reviewed, faved, alerted, or messaged me. It makes me giddy while reminding me that I have people waiting on an update.

Also, I have left out all the fighting that should be in the attempted takeover of Konoha. My fighting scenes are…well…they suck. I tried. I failed. So, the battle will be alluded to, but I'm skipping it. If I hadn't written myself into that corner, this chapter probably would have been out a few days ago.

Blanket disclaimer in the first chapter.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 7"

* * *

_"But I can't spell it out for you..."_

"So what you're telling me is that we played right into their hands."

"Yes'm."

Tsunade glared at the rude redhead in her office, comparing him more and more to Naruto every time he opened his big mouth. No wonder Sakura seemed to like him so much. He was Naruto with a different body—fierce, loyal, friendly and joking.

"I have no idea where to go from here, though," she muttered to herself, sinking further into her chair. Shikamaru shook his head from his place near the doors as well.

Sounds of the end of the battle outside were filtering into the office, making each of the ANBU surrounding the Hokage jumpy. Some of the best of the village were centered in this room, and had been for days now. Once the full scope of Danzou's plans had been figured out, they had reacted as quickly as possible, heading off the main attack on the village. But not every traitor was able to be caught in that first sweep, leaving around one hundred ninja still trying to infiltrate the village and kill off those who still held power.

The fighting had been fierce, as they had expected. After all, Danzou had trained many of the ROOT members himself for this occasion, and he had the remainder of Sound's forces to back his own. They hadn't stopped when confronted with the fact that Kabuto and Danzou were dead, the puppets of the shadow organization all jailed or executed.

But in the end, Konoha had won. A few were still running around, trying to escape or create some trouble for the Konoha nin that were attempting to take them down, but civilians were already moving around, milling about town and trying to get any damage taken care of so that life could continue on. Almost a week of fighting for the sovereignty of the village would be erased soon, as if the coup had never even happened.

Bouncing back was easier than normal for civilians in a ninja village.

Shikamaru still couldn't believe they had even attempted it, or even believed it might have worked. The entire thing seemed utterly stupid, now that he really thought about it. As did the idea that Danzou and Sasami maintained that the order had come from the Sandaime. Tsunade had searched out the order herself, and found that, upon reading the scroll, that no such order was ever presented. Sure, it explained a lot about the council's own secret subterfuge, but… never did the Sandaime give Danzou such power.

But he had always been closer to Orochimaru than Tsunade and Jiraiya, and the Godaime was sure that Kabuto's presence in Fire meant that the Snake Sannin had to have had a hand in the early planning of the coup. Which left them wondering about support of the Akatsuki organization early on, something that no longer mattered considering that the organization had been dead for years, falling when Sasuke and Naruto took out Pein and Madara.

Madara. Someone else whose involvement had not been fully understood. He had the motive, the means, everything to give the reason, but…this would be way too many people used to power having to share the decision-making authority. In Shikamaru's opinion, this never worked out very well. Too many alphas in a group tended to lead to disaster.

So, there had to have been someone leading it all, and his money was on Orochimaru or Madara. But the documents weren't there to explain their involvement; the evidence was wiped out throughout the years by very paranoid men. While there were dates and places of meetings, known associations between many of them, no clear line of authority could be found. Which left Danzou taking the brunt of the blame.

ROOT had been disbanded, but they scattered quickly. Most of them were apprehended early on, due to Sasami's information on the locations of their fall-back positions. The council, Danzou's ranks, and even some ANBU had been cleared out of the ranks, everyone being separated into the categories of 'loyal to the Hokage' and 'loyal to Danzou.' The battle, now, was over, the information in their hands, and everything seemed to be closing up rather nicely.

Except, Shikamaru still hadn't figured out who funded the operation.

And Sakura was still gone.

Which was why they were in the Hokage's office at this ungodly hour, discussing Yamato's recent information and how they could get her back into Konoha safely. He was sure, like the Godaime, that Sakura knew who had financed the operation, and that that information would lead them into another conflict. But they didn't know for sure yet, as Sakura wasn't here to tell them.

The revelation of Sakura's whereabouts and her real reason for being gone had made a lot of people incredibly happy. Knowing that one of your good friends wasn't really a missing nin could do that, he presumed. He had always had his suspicions, of course. Not much got past him.

That didn't mean he got it, though. Why was she still there? What was going on in her head, keeping the last piece of vital information in her hand? Why do it?

Who did it?

The question and all the information swirled in his head, and he knew that only one person held the key to complete the puzzle. He hoped she hurried home, or that a team hurried to get her, because unsolved puzzles were troublesome. They brought worry and anxiety.

Something he didn't need, seeing as he really needed to be with his wife right now.

"-did you even hear me?"

Shikamaru shook himself out of his reverie, opening his eyes to see Ino hovering above him, worried blue searching his face.

"Yeah, woman, I heard you. Shouldn't you be home?"

She grinned.

"Nah. Chouji's mom has the baby under control, I'm sure. Besides, if I can't be with them when they go to get Forehead, I'll at least help plan for it."

Shikamaru grinned back.

"You don't even know anything about the area, Ino."

There was a loud crack, and everyone's eyes sped to the Hokage. She had Naruto's head down on the desk, most likely put there using her super-strength. A huge fissure spread throughout the wood, radiating from the shocks of blonde hair atop the desk.

"Moron!"

"But baa-chan—"

"No buts, baka! You don't have my title yet! Listen to me, for all that's holy! You'll get yourself killed if you just charge in there. Gaara has done plenty of reconnaissance on the Kazedama, since they are on the edge of Kaze no Kuni. These people might not be _shinobi_, but they're _dangerous_!"

The office went quiet. It was another reminder of what she had put herself into, who she had willingly joined to save them from extra trouble.

"But if they're not shinobi, then—"

"Naruto…" Kakashi's voice was stilted, almost silent in the droning ringing of everyone's ears, "they are dangerous. Before Haruno Rika died, she gave us quite a bit of information on her family."

"And she was a fighter herself. Sakura's mom trained both of us girls when we were younger, teaching us some…less than orthodox moves to use in combat."

Naruto just gaped, blood running from the cut on his head down by the O his mouth made. His face continued to contort, forming caricatures that would have been comical in any other situation, ending in a scrunched-up mess.

"But Sakura-chan's kaa-chan wasn't a shinobi, Ino. She couldn't have trained you."

Tsunade and Ino both sighed, the Hokage rubbing her forehead.

"No, she wasn't, baka." Tsunade left herself fall back into her chair, abandoning her hold on Naruto. "She was a trained assassin for her family. How else would she have died helping protect Konoha from Akatsuki? And Haruno-san gave us plenty of information on her family, stating that they were responsible for her husband's unexplained death and many of the weird things that had happened in her and Sakura's life."

His face scrunched again, and he started to ask another question but was beaten to it by Sai.

"Like what, Hokage-sama?"

"Different things."

Everyone was quiet, but Sasuke stepped a little away from the window, turning to face the rest of the shinobi assembled in the office.

"You mean the piano. The jewelry. The money that would mysteriously appear in their bank accounts. The new equipment Sakura would get, not knowing who had given it to her. Those things, right?"

Everyone stared at the sharingan user.

"What? I did listen when she talked, you know," he muttered, cursing. "She was _my_ teammate, too."

"Yes, Sasuke. The Kazedama family never got over the betrayal they felt. Especially since they hated ninjas. They made their presence known."

"Tha' would mean they knew she was in Aisen, too. Got packages all th' time, always complainin' that someone knew 'er better then she knew herself. As a matter o' fact, that katana she carries everywhere was a gift from 'er _benefactor_, as she called 'im."

They all stared at Reno, who had been forgotten in the ensuing discussion. They hadn't been able to track her, but these people had?

"Why, though, baa-chan? Who sends stuff to someone they hate? And _who_ hates ninjas?"

Everyone was quiet, until Shikamaru suddenly sat straight up, his face etched into a portrait of surprise and disgust.

"Who would hate ninjas, unless…"

Awareness began to show on all of their faces, as the true reason for the Kazedama family's interference became clear.

"Oh, God," Tsunade muttered, her hands clenching on the table. Her face blanched, all color leaving it. She had never heard the name before, but that didn't mean anything. After all, she didn't know half of the Akatsuki member's names before they began to give the village trouble over Naruto.

She stood, gaining her strength to shout out orders. "Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, Sai—all of you are to leave immediately. Yamato is already in the area, and I believe you know how to contact him. I would suggest you hurry. Shikamaru, you start looking through the archives. I'm sure Ino and some of the others can help you. Look through everything that hasn't been opened in a while. It won't have been a recent entry, I'm sure."

"Baa-chan, am I missing something—"

"Baka! Get packed, go! Before they leave the damn city and go somewhere we can't follow!"

The four men hurried, with one blonde lagging a bit behind as he tried to figure out what everyone was so surprised about.

"Ne, Ne, Sasuke-teme, where can they take her that we can't get her?"

He shot Naruto a look.

"Where do you think, dobe? Cloud. The only country we don't have some sort of agreement with."

"I still don't get it." Naruto rubbed his head.

Kakashi stopped, turning to face the only moron on his team. His one eye was gleaming, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Think, Naruto. Who hates ninja from a nin village?"

His face was blank, the little hamster no longer trying to turn the cogs. They had gone beyond his point of understanding, or it had been too much information for him to handle. He was more the action type, not the sit-around-and-talk type. Sakura was in trouble. They should go save her. Who cared about all this extra bull?

And then Sasuke added, "Who do we ANBU hunt, moron?"

And Naruto's face cleared as if his brain had finally caught up to everyone else's.

"Then why are we standing here! Let's go get Sakura-chan!"

* * *

_"Take time to realize that I'm on your side..."_

Sakura's sleep was interrupted by the rustling of clothing as people ran down the hallway, shouts and curses coming from her uncle's study far down the hall, and a clicking sound.

She woke to two faces, scared and teary in their innocence.

"Akira? Misaki? What's wrong? Where's your mother?"

Two adolescent lumps jumped into her bed, huddling close to her, even as the shadows near her bedroom window shifted and changed, allowing her to see Nanao-san by the window. Her hair was matted and tousled, her robe barely covering her sleepwear.

"I am sorry, Rika-chan. I needed to get the children further from the noise, and I felt your room to be the best choice."

Sakura just nodded, watching as her aunt approached the large western-style bed. The little light from the night outside let Sakura see the bruising on her aunt's face, right around her left eye. Rage welled in the ninja, but she tapped it down, hoping to use it later.

"He did that?"

Nanao merely fluttered a hand, sitting near her daughter's lump under the blankets and rubbing Misaki's back.

"I am not sure what he and Jin were planning, but it has turned sour. He is in a foul mood tonight." She turned away, just for a second. "We are now locked in here. He followed me, unfortunately. I will try to assure that you are not punished for my transgression, Rika-chan."

Sakura shook her head, not knowing what to say.

The sounds continued on outside, and Sakura activated a small jutsu that would amplify it so that she could hear what her uncle was shouting. He was obviously upset, and they were…she still couldn't hear it all. Something about a failure, and Jin's own life being in danger.

Her uncle was threatening Jin. What was going on?

She could easily pick the lock and make her way down to her uncle's office, or at least closer to it, but she was afraid to leave them alone. This small bit of family had become precious to her so quickly, and if she left the room they might share in her uncle's displeasure. It wasn't a matter of her not being able to fight him, but whether or not he would take his anger out on them. She had to protect them.

Sniffling distracted her from her eavesdropping, and she rubbed her own hand on Misaki's head, trying to comfort the girl. Akira was scared, but he was behaving admirably, putting on a brave front like most boys his age would. He has thrown off the covers already, sitting up by her and merely fiddling with his pajama top's buttons. Sakura had no doubt that he would jump up and try to protect the females if someone barged into the room.

He reminded her of a young Sasuke, so innocent yet tortured by life.

"Rika-chan, I…"

"Nanao-san?"

Her aunt stumbled over her words, her mouth opening and closing several times. This was the first time Sakura had ever seen her elegance, her calm demeanor falter, and it only added to the feeling of wrongness bubbling in her stomach.

"I…do you remember our conversation last week? At the antique shop?"

Sakura nodded, not trusting her voice.

Nanao's eyes looked haunted, as if the decision she was about to make was too big for her tiny body. Fear and acceptance, weariness, was written on her face and in the lines about her eyes. She looked ten times older than her age at that moment, and Sakura wondered just what type of life the woman must have led to have such emotion bottled up inside her.

"I…yes, Sakura. Yes."

Sakura's own green eyes widened, her breath whooshing out of her open mouth in one large exhalation. A feeling of lightness grew inside her, fighting with the doom she felt in her stomach. The two feelings were colliding, fighting to win over her spirit.

Freedom.

Nanao-san, her aunt, had just granted her the wish for freedom. She could now try to take it herself instead of waiting for a rescue team, but…it wasn't all so good, either. She had three people now to protect, even if Nanao-san could fight a little. And both her uncle and Jin were skilled fighters, whom she would have to take on while protecting them. Because they were the type of men who would not even flinch at using an innocent child, even one of their own, to protect themselves.

"Are you sure?" was her whisper.

Her aunt nodded, her eyes and face draining of fear, replacing it with a fierce determination that Sakura had seen in herself…and her mother.

"Rika was right, all those years ago. Nothing is worth this, not anymore. I'm tired of fear, tired of hatred."

Sakura nodded, looking at Akira. His attention was on his mother, this person he had never seen before. Misaki had also risen out of the mound of blankets, listening closely to her mother and cousin converse.

"Mommy? What do you mean?"

Nanao was silent, staring at her daughter.

"Mommy?"

"Misaki-chan?" Sakura started, drawing the girl's attention. "You're going to come live with me, ok? Somewhere far from here, where there is no yelling, no strange men in the house. It's not as grand, or as pretty as you're house, but…"

The silence was cut by Akira's slight yelp and the shifting of the blankets as he threw himself at Sakura, hugging her tightly. Misaki's eyes teared up, glassy and reflecting the little moonlight in the room back at Sakura. Her small head bobbed up and down as she claimed she didn't care about the dolls, about the clothes, about the horses, about her father.

They sat huddled, hugging each other.

"I can take my violin?"

Nanao-san and Sakura giggled quietly, nodding.

The room was silent in the darkness, and soon the children had drifted off, whispering of what Konoha would be like, what living away from Niigata would be like. Their fantasies were nothing near the truth, but Sakura let them be. Nanao just watched over them, calmly smiling and letting them think up absurd ideas of quiet, and children playing in the neighborhood they would live in, hoping that their sleep would be unmolested for one night.

She soon drifted off, too, slumping into an uncomfortable position near the foot of the bed, snoring quietly. Her hand stayed on Misaki, though, moving from her back down to her leg, almost as if she had to stay in contact with them during her sleep to know they had not gone anywhere.

Sakura, herself, started slipping in and out of consciousness, her life of relative leisure not giving her a chance to exercise her shinobi arts. She had grown used to sleeping a good amount each night, and the drowsiness was catching up to her. She could hear noises, could hear people running about the estate, but she continued to rest against the headboard, not even thinking about it.

Until she heard a loud boom.

She sat up straight, eyes flitting about the room. She could hear Jin and her uncle yelling at each other, and what sounded like…

Was it?

She sniffed the air, and knew she was correct. She smelled blood, a lot of it. But she didn't move, hoping that business in the office would continue on without disturbing them. She should already see a little light from the approaching dawn outside, and daytime would make everything so much easier, she thought—

Until her door burst open.

The light was flicked on as Nanao jumped up, literally leaping off of the bed in her fright at the loud noise. The children were slower to wake, only registering the light that flooded the room and the sudden movement that had them behind their cousin. Sakura's reflexes weren't terribly out of practice, especially when woken up like that.

In the light she could see her aunt's face and realized the situation was much worse than she had thought. She heard Misaki gasp, Akira emit some sort of inhuman growl, and she herself gasped. The entire left side of Nanao's head was covered in blood and bruises, making her look like some ghostly apparition come to haunt the trio on the bed.

"What are _you_ doing in here?"

Jin's growl startled the woman, who backed up to the wall near the large bed. Sakura stiffened, reflexively moving away from the threat before stopping herself. The children were behind her, and if she moved away, well, there was no telling what he would do. She held her ground, staring at her fiancé.

Her uncle moved into the room soon after, his mouth gaping uncharacteristically as he took in the sight before him.

"What the hell is going on here?! I don't have this huge house so that you can all sleep in the same room like country peasants!"

He moved forward to grab Nanao about the same time Jin moved forward to jerk Sakura off of the bed, and all hell broke loose.

Sakura leaned forward, balancing precariously on the bed and swung at Jin, catching him on the chin and knocking him across the room. He slumped against the wall, bringing his hand up to his mouth to rub the bruise. Jin's eyes were huge, as if he had never really realized what 'kunoichi' meant. Her uncle stopped in his tracks, staring at her as if she'd grown a second head. But he recovered quickly. Matsu was quick for his age and size, jumping over to her and pinning her down on the bed underneath his much heavier weight. The children screamed and dove for their mother as he pinned her, arms above her head and his breath right next to her ear.

"_Do not move,_" he growled, menace seeping from his voice, "do not forget that I trained your mother, _little_ _girl_, and I could beat her any time we sparred. You cannot beat _me_, bitch."

"Touch them and the deal is off. I'll fucking _kill_ you," she spat, glaring at him.

He chuckled, a deep and grizzly sound, before squeezing his right hand hard enough to snap her one of her wrists in two. Sakura grimaced, but didn't let a sound slip.

"I'm not left-handed, asshole."

She wrestled her right hand free and charged it with chakra, moving to slap him hard. He caught her first, though, by slamming his head into her own, leaving her a little sightless and dizzy. Her hand fell before it ever made it to his head, lifeless and wobbly.

"The deal," he grinned, "is already over. You were never going to stay here, _Sakura-chan_. You're my insurance. You're his, to take back to secure my freedom. It takes quite a bit to keep a country happy after you desert them. But a shinobi of your caliber? Trained by a sannin! That means quite a lot these days, and your name is high in their bingo book, I'm sure."

Her face went blank, as if she couldn't really understand him. Her body went slack. Jin was ninja before, Cloud shinobi stock. So, if she was his, and he was supposed to—

_Oh, hell no!_

The fight literally leapt back into her, and she began squirming and kicking underneath the heavier bulk of her uncle. He continued to laugh at her futility, pushing at one of her legs as she tried to bring it up to knee him in the stomach. One of his elbows landed heavily in her neck, giving her a tremendous, shooting pain and making her see stars at the same time.

Still, she brought her right hand up again, this time with a literal sword of chakra pointing from her fingers, and she was able to spear him in the shoulder before his head crashed against her again. He was no longer laughing due to the pain, but he still had the upper hand—she was tired, she was hurt, he had overpowered her, and she hadn't been allowed to practice her ninja arts at all since she had been here. She lay there, trapped under her uncle, hearing the children scream and Nanao crying. Jin's face appeared in her line of sight, right above her uncle, and she could see the nasty bruise forming where she had broken his jaw.

"Don't you see, niece? We all owe our fate to the family, and yours is to be the martyr. If a Kazedama has to die to win the rest of our freedom, then it will be you, the daughter of the traitor. Or perhaps they won't kill you. _I don't really care anymore."_

She wanted to struggle, so badly, even if just to get one hit in. She had promised them freedom, and she would win it, damn it! But her sight was fading due to the lack of oxygen, and her wrist and neck were both killing her. _This isn't over! It can't be! _Her thoughts ran in circles. She felt her uncle shift, his weight moving away as her vision blurred, the room went fuzzy, and she passed out.

* * *

So there's Chapter 7 Part I. I hope everyone's happy, and yes, it's a little bit of a cliffhanger. But the next part is already done, just being edited, so it should be up within the next day or so. I won't leave you with only part of chapter, I promise. So look for Part II, and enjoy this one. And for a heads up, Part II is going to take care of just about everything with Matsu, leaving the epilogue to clear everything up in Konoha.


	10. Chapter 7 Part II

A/N: Oh, I am so late in getting this to you guys, and I do apologize. There has been one issue after another, including hurricanes and a messy half-divorce-half-not in my family and then an issue with one of the sites I upload to. And graduation, and trying to find a job, and getting everything ready for grad school. It's been a nightmare in real life. And then every time I would open this file to work, I just went blank. Too many things going on, too many other worries in my life. I've had no real inspiration to write from the manga or the anime, either. It has all converged on me and made everything really complicated, so real life took precedence for me. But now I'm back and ready to finish this monster, in the way it needs to be done. Some things have been added to the original, and I hope you like it.

I had some issues with this chapter, trying to get it to flow and feel right. I ended up writing myself into a corner at one point, trying to fix a plot hole…I can't even explain the crap I went through trying to fix it and get the story back on track. It took quite a bit out of me over the last month or two, so I really hope you like it!

And thank you very much to purvy sage, who seems to have consented to be my beta! She's been looking through my stories, giving me pointers, and helping me when I hit a snag. Without her input, this chapter probably would have taken quite a bit longer than it did.

"Someday You Will be Loved: Chapter 7; Part II"

* * *

_"Feel the distance pull between us..."_

Sasuke, Sai, Naruto, and Kakashi were rushing through the desert of Kaze, hoping to make the best time possible. It was at least four days over to Niigata from Konoha, and that was with them going as fast as possible and only taking three breaks a day. It was dizzying to say the least, and not very good on them in the long run. They needed to arrive in the city ready to fight if necessary, and Kakashi didn't see how that would be possible. After three days of this breakneck pace, he was sure that they were running on pure adrenaline, more on their worry for Sakura than on their chakra.

He was no different, though. His mind let the barren landscape of Suna's desert disappear, bringing up images of his lone female student, the one he had treated so horribly, if only in his own mind. He had cursed her, refused to even speak her name to any of her friends, only mourning her when he was alone in the morning in front of the KIA Monument. She was his total failure, the one that had watched a member of the team betray them and then done the same thing, even knowing what hurt it brought.

When he had found out it was all a ruse, just a way to get her out of the city, he was almost in a rage. He knew there were other shinobi that had done the same, pretended to be nukenin from Konoha to do their Hokage's dirtiest jobs, but never had he pictured sweet, innocent Sakura being one of the many forgotten ones. She wasn't fit for that life.

He was supposed to protect her, and he failed. It was all he seemed to think about lately, ever since he saw her picture with that _man _and knew her uncle was behind every bit of it. He had allowed her, however indirectly, to do exactly what her mother was so afraid of. And he knew that if they were too late, it would mean she was lost to them forever. He knew quite a good deal of information about the Kazedama family due to Sakura, and none of it left him with a fuzzy feeling.

He could see it in their eyes, too. Sai, ever emotionless, had a hard glint to his usually cold obsidian eyes, and he wasn't even joking with Naruto, trying to rile the blond up. Sai had taken it hard, even though he had been there to see Sakura leave. Kakashi knew he feared that he would one day be sent on a mission just like this to retrieve Sakura, and he suspected that even now Sai wondered if at some point his ANBU training would be requested. The idea of killing one of the first people to ever call you friend scared him in a way he would most likely never admit.

He also knew that Sai felt he owed Sakura and Naruto more than he could ever repay. He treated them with a very Sai-like sort of care that nobody else ever received. Only they were special enough to him to merit any consideration. Not that the rest of the group wasn't important, but Naruto and Sakura were special to him. Very special.

And Naruto, who should be in the village waiting on his child's entrance into the world, was right beside him. Hinata had accepted it so easily, even pushing him out of the door when she heard where he was going. She understood his fierce need to go after Sakura in a way only she could, accepting that his love of his teammates didn't lessen the love he felt for her.

His face was pure determination, fierce and savage. His eyes, normally so clear and blue, had turned red and become angular over a day ago and refused to turn back. He let out these strange noises every once in a while, almost like a growling grumble of nonsensical words Kakashi couldn't make out. He was dangerously close to losing it. He protested every stop, every rest, every meal. The idea that Sakura was out there, fighting for her life without his help, was killing him inside.

And Sasuke, the newest, yet one of the oldest, members of their little nakama. Kakashi couldn't really read him, other than to see that he obviously cared about Sakura enough to push himself as hard as the rest of them. He wasn't sure what Sasuke felt for Sakura, especially since it had been some 8 years since they had last seen each other.

Yet he stayed with them, using his kekkai genkai to scan the rocky outcroppings that popped up every once in a while, checking for rogues. Nothing showed on his face except the tiniest amount of tension visible in the crease of his brow, the furrowed eyebrows making fine wrinkles above his nose.

His mouth formed a thin line, and his eyesight was focused off to the left presently. Most likely he had felt some rogue nin out there, not close enough to worry about but not far enough to ignore. They were in a dangerous area; a desert that was referred to as part of Kaze no Kuni but really was a rogue nation, the border being constantly disputed. They had run around it, entering from the south through Kaze instead of from the North through Hi no Kuni. It was too much ground to cover without any government system if they had come in that way and it added at least a day to their travel. Niigata was perched just on the coast, right between the rogue nation and Kaze. It was a lawless, dangerous area.

He shuddered to think of Sakura there.

The desert was slowly gaining some greens and browns, small plants cropping up as they got closer to the coastal rivers and plains. He could see that there was grass and some small trees ahead of them, even if quite a ways to the northeast. He would be thankful to be back in his comfort zone, in an area he could hide in.

He had just zoomed past another small bush, the poor plant shaking in his wake, when he felt Sasuke stop. Naruto and Sai, behind him, had already slowed down, coming to a stop. He turned in mid-air, skidding on the dry ground and coming to a stop facing his three teammates, focusing mainly on the one in the back.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke was silent, his eyes focusing on the area to the left of them as his head cocked a little to the side, listening for noise he would never be able to hear.

"How close are they, teme?"

Sasuke shot Naruto a dirty look, but kept his focus on the supposed intruders.

"Four, I think. About a mile to the northwest. They don't feel dangerous, and they are not moving in our direction. I would…say they are moving away from our intended direction, not toward it."

"I would say that is a good thing, hm?" Sai quirked a corner of his lips up, delighting in his own wit.

"It is. But now that we have stopped, perhaps some food is in order? A small rest?"

He plopped down, setting on the hard dirt and reclining on an elbow. His left hand moved purposefully toward his pack, retrieving his little orange book and flicking it open in front of his face.

"Kakashi! We can't just sit here! We're so _close!_" Naruto spluttered, nonplussed.

"Shut up, dobe. We could use a rest. A few minutes won't make any difference." Sasuke sat his pack down, digging to find some type of food inside. His hand came out with a good amount of power bars, not very tasty but certainly good enough to keep them going.

He tossed one to Sai, who had made himself comfortable by a small boulder and was drawing in his sketch pad. The bar was caught swiftly, placed in his lap, and soon forgotten. Kakashi caught his as well, not even looking up from his book to grab it out of the air.

Naruto's bar hit him in the head, as he was still too busy staring at both Kakashi and Sasuke to care about catching his food. If it could be called food.

"This is stupid," the blonde mumbled, grabbing his power bar from the ground in front of him and ripping into it. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"No, Naruto, it's not. But would you like to know what would be?" Kakashi grinned a little, looking almost eerie and evil with his lilting, carefree tone and the cheerfully sadistic look on his face.

"Not really."

Kakashi's face fell, and he pouted just a bit before snapping back into his usual laid back stance.

"I don't need to, baka! This _is _stupid! We're just sitting here, acting like nothing's wrong and we're on some stupid normal mission and we're not, because it's _Sakura-chan_ who we're running to this time, and that makes it totally different, you know? So we shouldn't treat this like it's normal, because she wouldn't do that because she would run and run and run if it was one of us and never think about stopping or eating or resting or—"

"Dobe. Shut. The. Hell. Up."

The blonde, properly scolded, stopped his rant with a dirty look at his teammate. Sasuke huffed, merely casting Naruto a look before turning to stare off into the distance, yet again scanning the area for any other travelers.

"Naruto, we will find her. You know that." The blonde stared at his other asshole teammate, surprised and a little scared at the grave seriousness in Sai's voice. Because it wasn't Sai, at all. It was one thing for the artist to be serious, as he never really had been one for laughing and fun or anything that interested Naruto. But for him to be so straight about it…well, it just showed that the mission wasn't just getting to him. It was getting to all of them, because the consequences of failure were just too large this time. This was no scroll, no unknown person they had to rescue, no escort mission for someone they had never met before and never would see again, it was Sakura. And that made all the difference.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered, casting his gaze down to the dirty, barren ground beneath him.

Not ten minutes later, they were gone, the spot where they had rested looking as if they had never been there.

_"Faster, faster, he we go bleeding stars, faling slow..."_

* * *

Yamato didn't know what to do. He had never expected this to happen while he was there, especially while he was alone. They had been so sure that it would be easy, just him waiting around, lounging in the forest, until he had the chance to sneak in and get her.

How wrong they all were.

He had watched them struggle, watched as she was literally knocked out from the force of the man's head hitting her own. He watched the larger man grab the little family, dragging them out of the room and out of his sight. He watched as the thinner, lankier man approached Sakura, cursing and rubbing his jaw, and kicked her now motionless body.

The horror he had seen in that room would be inescapable for the rest of his life. It wasn't just that Sakura was a teammate, someone he had looked after and watched grow for so many years. His care for her and the feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched her fall onto the bed under her uncle was something he expected. He had felt that feeling before, watching as she was hurt by Naruto when Kyuubi broke free, when she was injured during training from a badly miscalculated throw of Sai's jutsu—even when he himself had landed a particularly nasty hit on her by accident on a mission to take down some rogue ninja in Fir Country.

But it wasn't that care for a friend that would make what he had seen so tortuous to his mind. There was no human compassion in that room. A man who would brutalize his wife, who would go so far as to suggest using his own children as shields, who would use his own niece to buy his own freedom…it was ghastly. Never had he, scary ANBU Yamato, the murderer and ninja and all-around violent man to his enemies, ever been so heartless. He couldn't fathom ever treating one of his comrades like that. He couldn't understand treating a family member like that.

Humans could be so cruel sometimes. He had seen it himself, as an experiment of Orochimaru, as a ninja trained to kill and rend others apart, as a man who had watched life take so much fromt hose he now called his friends. Death was something humans thought nothing about, at least until it hit them. But still, he had never been cruel to someone he loved, someone he was supposed to care for and protect.

He could so clearly remember their young faces looking up at him one day on one of the many training fields in Konoha, trees waving in the gentle breeze and the sun shining down on their smiling faces as they announced that he was now part of their "nakama." He was Team 7, Team Kakashi, and Naruto and Sakura had taken in another lost soul so easily, changing him and making him feel welcome, wanted for more than a jutsu, for the first time in his life. They had said it so nonchalantly, as if they were saying the sky was blue or that leaves were green. And he felt a feeling of heat in his heart, acceptance for the first time. They had taken him in without question, without care, automatically deciding they would protect him if they could since he was now one of them. This little group of orphans had given him something he never though he would have.

They had lost so much. Kakashi lost everyone he cared about, Naruto and Sakura lost their families and their third member, their completion, really, and Sai had lost the only person he ever cared for. While he had never lost anything, because he had never had it to begin with. But they gave him family, they have him something to lose, and now he felt it, watching her lay there, as badly as he had felt the loss the first time he had been told that Sakura had left the village. It was crushing in its intensity, but liberating at the same time.

Still.

He had to sit in his tree, covered and protected by foliage and countless years of ninja training, as one of his little "nakama" lay there, hurt and unprotected. It went sorely against the grain, no matter how long Sakura had been gone from his life.

"North side clear."

And he couldn't interfere.

There were too many guards, too many people around. His interference now would only cause more problems. He would have to stick it out and wait, hoping that his chance would come. It hurt him to do so, but it was more important to plan his movements, not let his emotions take over.

"East clear, except, ahh, some movement of the guards by the garage."

He sat there for what felt like hours, although it certainly was not that long. Time flew by at the speed of nothingness, and he just watched her body. Her chest rose and fell, she shifted once. A hand fluttered, a nostril flared. A thousand tiny little movements that meant nothing, but assured him she was still alive. A rustle of her nightgown, a softly exhaled breath. He couldn't hear them, but he could imagine the reassuring sounds.

"South clear. Ahh, the guard here has fallen asleep. Hmm."

He was more than grateful.

The lanky man entered the room again, cursing and staring at her body the entire time. After a few minutes of pacing along the end of the bed, watching Sakura as she did nothing, he left. The sun rose, becoming a soft ball of orange instead of a pale light along the trees, and still she slept.

"West?"

Maybe he should move? Risk it now, while she was unconscious and couldn't protest? There was a lot going on in the house right now. Surely no one would notice if he snuck in, grabbed her, and moved away quickly. He could be outside of Niigata and in Kaze before they knew he had been there, in safe territory and on his way to Suna.

"West? Come in, One."

No. It was still too risky, especially without back-up. If something went wrong, there was no telling what the consequences would be. He had sat through watching them hurting before, and he could do it again. He could plan this, he could do this right. The rest of them would arrive and it could be carried out safely. They would be here soon enough and something could be planned.

"West? If there is no confirmation, then—"

"I'm here. Nothing."

He turned his earpiece on low, trying to escape the chatter of his clones. They were altogether too talkative today, no doubt reflecting his own anxiety in this situation. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to have his inhibitions, just like Naruto's own kage bunshin. They were a pain to work with sometimes, but they were also helpful, especially in a situation like this.

_It didn't matter_, he repeated in his head. He had to be calm, had to think things through. He pushed the regret, the worry, all his emotion down deep so that he could feel it hum at the back of his mind like a fog trying to engulf him. He let his brain take over, calculating risk and time constraints, how best to enter the house and the best escape route when he left. He had to think, to plan, and worry later, after the whole situation was over and he had the only female member of their little group safe and secure.

And he settled in his tree, uncomfortably waiting for his moment.

* * *

Not everyone on the Kazedama Estate was as calm and rational as Yamato at the moment. Jin was hurrying around the second floor rooms, packing his own belongings in the suite of rooms allotted to him while also looking in on the unconscious form of his prey every chance he got, or every time he felt that she could have possibly woken up. All the time, he was cursing about the pain in his jaw and the kunoichi who did it, who was _still_ not tied up and restrained like she should be. One more punch like that and he was done. He knew it.

It was imperative that he get on the road today. If Konoha had foiled Danzou's little coup, then they would be coming for their little spy, and she was much too important to let slip through his fingers. She would buy the freedom of his empire, his life, his future. At one point, when Matsu had approached him with the scheme, he had felt a tinge of remorse for what he would do to her. She had been so young and naïve, so much like the powerful lady that had sent her to him. But she was worth more to him than Tsunade now, and he would rather let an old friendship turn to dust than lose his freedom. His country wasn't as accepting as the busty gambler's; Cloud didn't take to letting their shinobi wander like Konoha did.

So Jin moved about hurriedly, from one elegant and rich room to the next, packing and planning. He would leave as soon as possible, get to the main city of Cloud and make the exchange. Then Sakura's freedom was no longer in their hands, and they would no longer be the ones Konoha focused on. It would be left to diplomacy, and he would be glad to be done with this entire stupid plot.

The children were huddled in Akira's room, quietly sobbing and hiding in the window seat behind a dark blue curtain. They could hear the screaming still, see the bruises and the fighting and the violence in their minds. But they could do nothing, so they sat there, hushed and scared, hoping that their cousin could do what she had promised and get them out of this horrible house.

They had always known that something in their lives was different from everyone else's experience, that their family was starkly at the end of some unseen spectrum. But they had pushed it aside, Misaki focusing on her music and Akira focusing on whatever let him not think about his father's evil. How were they to know that the best thing that had happened to them in years, their pretty nee-chan Rika, was going to be the catalyst that broke the fragile peace in their lives?

They curled closer together, lost in their thoughts. The window was cold against their legs, but the light of the rising sun was warming and blinding, pushing everything out of the room and taking the creatures of the night away. There weren't the Kazedama heirs here in this little window seat; there were only two scared children looking toward the day and hoping that light would erase the terror of the night.

And Matsu was screaming at his wife in their rooms, Nanao clutching her face and crying. She could feel his anger, his hate, rolling over her as he spit his words at her. Her heart was heavy with despair because she knew there was no way for her to get out of this situation. Her hope was gone, floating away as daytime approached and her dreams were shattered by reality. She had been so stupid, hoping that she could finally escape the gilded cage she had called life for so many years.

She knew that the only way of escape was now closed, and she had risked so much only for it to backfire on her and the children. Sakura was down, hurt, and had obviously grossly underestimated her uncle. What was worse was the fact that Nanao knew this man so well, knew what he would want even before he asked, and she had never even contemplated what would happen if she was found out, if it failed. But here it was, so clear in front of her. They had failed, and now her dearest friend's daughter would be sacrificed to preserve the horrible life she and her children lived.

But it was life, and that was what mattered. She couldn't help Sakura, she couldn't help herself, but she _could _help her children. So she listened, silently agreeing whenever needed, and hoping that she would get out of this alive.

When he told her to grab the children and get downstairs, she moved in all haste to do so. She was not stupid, and she knew better than to go against anything he said when he was in one of these moods. She backed out of the room, head lowered and her body all but prostrate to her husband, turning and running down the hall to the children's rooms when the door was finally shut and her husband's image no longer freezing her in fear.

They would face what was to come together, and hope for the best.

She hoped her niece made it out of this alive. She hoped she did, too.

And two poor nukenin, hired by Matsu as bodyguards, grumbled and protested as they drug the deflated body of Hisadachi out of Matsu's office. The body was leaving a trail of blood along the carpets, and they knew there would be trouble for it. But they could only do so much when someone was killed in such a way, and it was beyond their capabilities, stopping someone from bleeding.

His body was drug out the garage and then the east end of the estate, which had few obstacles. The forest was thin here, sparse and small compared to most of the woods around the house. The blood mixed with the dirt, leaving a reddish-brown trail down through the woods, over the sloping ground to the shore less than a mile from the house. The sand was soft and white, opposite the hard rocks that blocked the little shoreline from the rest of the beach. They grunted as they shuffled through the thin bits of sand, pulling the body down to the waves lapping at the white shore.

"How—"

The first nukenin grunted, stepping into the shallow water and pulling the body behind him, watching to make sure the blood stayed away from his shoes. It was already floating throughout the water, turning the sand and the foam of the waves a sickly pink color. He pushed a little harder and the crest of a wave returning to the sea finally caught the body, carrying it away from the shore.

Hisadachi floated on the seawater, bobbing with the waves as he drifted out to sea.

"Good riddance."

"Eh. Back to the house."

They turned and made their way back to the house, never thinking about what the day might bring. It had already been an eventful morning, after all. What else could possibly go wrong?

They would soon find out.

In a room of the house not even a half a mile from them, Sakura was slowly being hefted off of the bed by Jin and another nukenin, Matsu standing near the fireplace and watching as they took his niece. Her head rolled toward him, and he almost smiled at the fact that everything was going according to his own plans.

He turned to the mirror above the fireplace, looking at his reflection. He could see Jin and Hiro folding Sakura's arms up onto her stomach, trying to find an easy way to carry her. A lock of hair, tinted pink due to the ineffectiveness of the hair dye she had used, fell in front of her face, and he suppressed the urge to reach over and push it back. She was not his sister. She was not his niece. She was not Kazedama. She was just another pawn in his games, and he couldn't let himself think, for one minute, that she was anything like his sweet little sister had been.

This girl had never wanted what he could have offered. Everything was about her village, her nindo, her shinobi lifestyle. She was Haruno through and through, part of that despicable honor-loving clan of ninja that never understood the real way of the world. The only part of her that could even pretend to be from the Kazedama line—her looks—were far out shadowed by the Haruno in her. But still, sometimes…

He could almost see Rika in her, see the laughing and innocent eyes of his sister looking up at him. No matter what, he wished she had never been so stupid, never tried to escape. He would have given her a good life here, protected her and loved her. Those eyes, the eyes he could imagine were in the face of his niece, narrowed in his mind, objecting to his thoughts about her.

_Oh, Rika, always a dreamer._

He shut his eyes, clearing her face from his mind. It was so long ago, ancient for him. She was gone, and nothing would bring the little sister he remembered back to him. He opened his eyes, looking at his niece again. Rika's eyes were still there, implanted in his memory and in his vision, and his hand moved to rub it out of his own eyes but he stopped his body from moving.

He denied the urge to step back, the fear that coursed over his body. His Rika had never looked at him like that, even after he told her that he was responsible for the death of her Haruno husband. Bile fought to come up his esophagus, and long-denied shinobi instincts warned him that this person was dangerous, that he needed to get as far away as possible as soon as he could.

But he was a Kazedama, and they never ran from anything. He pushed his fear down, clamping a lid on it tightly. He swiveled around, small flecks of breakfast pastry flying from his expensive pants, the hairs on his arms standing at attention. His brow furrowed, and he moved to warn the other men in the room, but he stayed silent, his voice bound by something otherworldly. He was sure they had just signed their death warrants. The green eyes across from him lost their coy slant, their fake anger. All he saw was anger, rage coursing so deep he would never be able to find the bottom of it.

Those weren't Rika's eyes, not anymore.

She flashed upward so quickly, her entire body almost levitating up from the position she had been in. There were some startled grunts from the men nearest her as the chakra she expelled flashed and sizzled against their skin, the raw power singing tiny hairs and warning them to _step back, now_.

Jin, who had been right above her when she started moving, was shoved back by a massive punch, his second that day. But this one was different, as if the process had been shifted so radically just by her anger that the force had grown exponentially. The older man slammed hard into a wall, crunching bone and ripping through muscles, before the entire wall shattered outward, caving into an explosion of wood and debris once it could no longer handle the pressure it was subjected to.

The older man fell through as well, landing unconscious in the hallway.

The other nin, Hiro, stepped forward with his kunai poised in his hands and his body already in a defensive position, but it was not enough to stop him from being annihilated. A deceptively gentle kick to his stomach as she twisted in the air, trying to get her legs under her so that the fall would be graceful and planned, and Hiro was flying to the outer wall of her room. The stone didn't give as easily as the wooden inner wall, but as the poor nukenin crumbled to the floor in a heap of lethargic limbs, Matsu could see the large crack marking the point of impact.

He had underestimated her. Badly.

Sakura landed on the soft floor with a concussive force that blew him away, literally. He watched as the ground underneath them liquefied and split, spilling both of them, as well as all of the room's furnishings, into the lower level living area.

Matsu landed heavily on a couch that had been in his family for three generations, now destroyed as the dust from the ruins of his niece's room fell onto the fabric, staining upholstery he couldn't buy anymore. Antique tables, priceless artifacts, beautiful paintings…all were destroyed by the falling pieces of wood, the furniture, even the large chandelier that had once illuminated this room.

He watched, almost in slow motion, as she appeared before him across the room, dripping dirt and sweat all over a one of a kind, hand woven rug he had received from his mother when he was married. But the chaos didn't sway her, didn't even interrupt her train of thought. She silently slipped on a pair of black gloves he had never seen before—_never took the time to notice_—each finger promising a pain he never thought she would be able to understand.

"Have you any idea what you bring on yourself, niece?"

Already he could hear the other nin in the house rushing to the scene of her outburst, gasping and shouting out orders to get the situation under control. But she just stared at him, one hand held in front of her as if she was pointing at him, calmer than was possible. She was a mixture of oddities, a kunoichi with fighting gloves standing in a pair of pyjamas, surrounded by rubble.

"Sakura, stop this _now_, and perhaps we can negotiate. Surely, you realize you will _never_ make it out of this house alive."

Her lips quirked upward, her smile devious and innocent all at the same time. Still, she didn't move from her place in front of him. She was still and silent, merely standing there and waiting for the inevitable breakdown he would have, the breakdown he was dangerous close to.

"You are a fool. An indescribable _fool_ if you think you'll live through fighting me. I am _not _Jin."

Her face darkened, her grin slipping away. She stepped forward, only a few inches really, still too far to hit him without moving first. Her eyes narrowed, her body tensing and snapping to attention.

"I am Kazedama. And if you even try to escape, you will feel the wrath that makes that name cursed."

And suddenly her grin was back, as malicious as ever. She flickered out of his sight, moving fast to the right in a wide-swing that brought her next to him. Matsu's arm snapped upwards, blocking the hit she tried to land on his shoulder, most likely hoping to incapacitate his dominant arm. He sneered at her, suddenly so close instead of looming in the distance like a bad dream waiting to surface. She was small, vulnerable, not nearly up to his standards, no matter how strong she was.

He felt the pressure on his arm increase tenfold, and he cringed in response. He could feel the bone trying to snap in two, wanting to fold to the force she was exerting.

Suddenly, she leaned in, close enough that he could see the tiny flecks of rage in her green eyes. He could feel the heat thrumming off of her body in waves, the chakra under the surface just waiting to be released. He watched as her lips parted, a sigh escaping right before a demeaning, rough chuckle.

"Matsu-_sama. _Don't forget, I am Kazedama, too."

* * *

That's the second part of Chapter 7! Next, we see the end of the Kazedama family saga, and finally get to deal with the aftermath. I'm pretty much done with it as well, just going back and making sure that everything fits with the direction I veered off into. Because this is NOT how it was supposed to go, but stories have a tendency to take over and do what they want.


	11. Chapter 8

A/N: This is the last chapter! Yay! For me. There will be an epilogue, though, so don't worry about it not being neatly wrapped up. I did have to go back and rewrite much of this chapter, as the last one took me way out of where I had planned and what had been sketched out already. That's why it is so late, compared to when I thought I could get it up here. But I think it's better this way, and I hope you guys like it as much as you have the others. So, without anymore stalling, here we go! The last real chapter of the story.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 8"

* * *

"_What you've done here, is put yourself between a bullet and a target…"_

Kakashi could feel Yamato in the area, could sense the agitation in his clones. It was like a tension radiated through the forest, the mokuton user feeding his emotion into the trees to keep steady under the immense pressure he must have felt. He understood, but silently despaired at what it meant. If Yamato was visibly uneasy, the situation couldn't be good.

He could hear the three nin behind him, moving swiftly through the forest by the Kazedama estate, a giant sprawling thing that seemed to be some technologic fortress inside the natural consequence of the area. It had taken them too long to get there, even though they made good time. Or maybe he was just letting the worry get to him.

No.

He could sense it. There was always this feeling, right before a really good fight, like the world stood with baited breath to see which of its inhabitants would see conflict that day. Animals were silent in the forest, leaves not falling or swishing about on their branches. The world was silent, waiting, watching.

He could feel Naruto's chakra elevating, the fox trying to break free of its container, begging to rip through the surrounding area like a typhoon.

He could also feel the Kaze team approaching from the west, moving fast through the trees toward them. He wasn't sure exactly who had been sent, but he had known that, from what Tsunade said, Gaara wouldn't leave this alone either. Supposedly, the Kazekage had already made a major play for her freedom, making it quite clear that he would fight for the missing Konoha nin. Sakura was too close to him, just like Naruto, and Gaara felt there was some owed debt due to the encounter years ago with Sasori and Deidara. He wouldn't deny their help, though. Any extra hands would be more than welcome, especially with him feeling like he was going into a situation he knew too little about.

He could barely see Temari, some Sand nin behind her, as Yamato's clones poofed out of life and the ANBU appeared from a tree in front of them. They all stopped when they reached Yamato's resting point, and panting, looked around at the spattered gathering of random nin. It wasn't the best team you could build, but it was definitely a powerful one. They should be enough for any hired rogue nin in the estate, as well as any civilian fighters.

Temari stepped forward, motioning to Kakashi and Yamato, her team staying back behind her and a good distance away. Most of them seemed to be chuunin, well-trained but not remarklable by any estimation of their skills. They would work well for taking out any help the Kazedama family had, but wouldn't be worth much against the main targets.

Her lips were pursed, her face pinched from something he didn't understand. How long had she been in the area? She looked dirty and dusty, as if she had traveled fast or been camped out for days. He wasn't sure which one was right, but he knew this situation couldn't be good for an expecting mother. Briefly, he wondered what Gaara was thinking, sending his pregnant sister into such a situation.

She shared a look with Yamato, and he knew they had seen something he hadn't. The thought that they felt a need to shore themselves up before explaining the situation to him almost gave rise to a building bubble of dread in his stomach, but he didn't allow it. He stepped on the rising emotion, pushing it into that place far inside where he hid everything else in his life from prying eyes.

Finally, Yamato stepped forward.

"Senpai," he said, slowly stepping forward, "there have been developments in the last few hours."

Temari once again glanced at Yamato, uneasy.

"We," she stopped, hesitating. "We arrived late last night, not making contact with Yamato until an hour ago. But it was long enough. The situation has changed drastically."

Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed toward his subordinate.

"Senpai, I watched as there was an…altercation last night. We're not sure what precipitated it, only that the nonviolent bystanders were involved, as well as Sakura."

"And her condition, Yamato?" Kakashi asked, deadpan.

"Unconscious, last I checked."

"And there is rapid movement around the house. With the way things are going, I would say they were packing up camp, so to say. Leaving."

Temari and Yamato both glanced to the side, allowing the Copy Nin some privacy, sensing there might be a little bit of a break in the façade he was trying to hold onto.

But he never faltered, at least to any observers. Inside, he was raging, plotting, planning. But on the outside he appeared as calm as ever, typical Kakashi.

"Then we need to move in soon. Get everyone ready, and let's get this planned." He paused, glancing over at Naruto, who had been eavesdropping the entire time. His kyuubi-enhanced hearing wouldn't allow anything else.

"How many are in the house?"

"34, Senpai."

"And how many will we have to fight?"

"Only around 20. But at least half should be considered jounin level."

"And which way would be best to enter?"

"I think, as does Temari-san, Senpai, that the best way to go in would be…" he listened with half his brain as Yamato droned on, explaining the plan he and the Sand nin had concocted while waiting on them to arrive. It was a good idea, but he was afraid any advantage of surprise would be lost. But they might not have that anyway. You couldn't take nine people into a house without alerting someone, usually.

"No, Yamato, look." Temari gestured in the air, almost as if she had a map of the house in front of her. "Yasui-san said that they have less guards here, so if we enter this way…"

He once again looked over at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai, all three seeming to be so calm and unaffected, but in reality listening to every word they said and standing fully ready to pounce on the situation. If he allowed them free reign, they would have Sakura out in minutes. But what would it mean for anyone in the house that wasn't combative? He didn't want innocents hurt, but he had a mission to accomplish. It wouldn't be the first time he had watched as innocents fell, collateral damage really, but he knew from the information Sakura's "friend" had given them that she had young cousins in the house, cousins she was trying to protect and liberate. She wouldn't be happy if his decision meant they were injured, or even killed accidentally.

He shook his head mentally, returning to the conversation in front of him, and came to a decision.

"Ok." He half-smiled, fake. "We'll go in two teams, one through Yamato's entry plan, one through yours, Temari. We'll convene in the main area after taking out any peripheral guards, and go from there."

Both nin looked at him, nonplussed. He just fake smiled again.

"Senpai?" "Kakashi-san?"

"We can't plan this out. Without more information on what's going on, we're at a disadvantage. Let's just plan what we can, and go with it."

Out of the corner of his normal eye, he could see Naruto's grin, almost sadistic, forming. It was too close to how the Kyuubi had smiled at him before, and it gave him the chills.

He motioned his team over, and was about to explain the situation to them, mainly out of courtesy, when they felt the ground begin to shake, a rumble coming from the direction of the house. Everyone looked up, the Sand chuunin letting some of their surprise show on their faces. A large dust cloud was forming near the estate, and Kakashi didn't need anyone to tell him what was happening. The main event was starting, and they were going to be right on time, something he wasn't used to.

Everyone was silent a moment, as another explosive noise rang through the forest, and Naruto shouted in glee.

Everyone turned and looked at the small group of Konoha nin as Naruto's shout rang out in the forest.

"Sakura-chan!"

Kakashi, as well, knew what it meant, and gave the order.

"Go."

Naruto grinned at him again, and he took off in the direction of the explosion, Yamato and Sai right behind him. Temari stepped toward her group, getting ready, as Sasuke stepped toward him, prepared to follow. As they took to the trees, watching Temari's group go in a separate direction, he could only think about what the explosion meant.

Sakura was awake, and she definitely wasn't happy.

* * *

"_Come on, abuse me more…I like it…"_

"Matsu-_sama. _Don't forget, I am Kazedama, too."

Her words were punctuated with a snarl, ripping free of her throat right at the time her fist finally broke through the bone in his arm. He heard the snap, felt the sensation, but the pain was pushed down as adrenaline shot through his body. He had never seen such force displayed, although Jin had warned him many times that she was trained by the female Sannin who was known for her explosive strength. But he had never really considered that Sakura could actually _use _such a technique.

He could hear rushing throughout the house as everyone reacted, and in a moment lasting less than a second, he could hear the doors in his mind click shut, like a trap. They wouldn't be able to intervene; she wouldn't let them. This was a family fight, personal, not some random mission.

Sakura's foot swung inward, aiming for Matsu's shin, and he quickly scrambled back, hitting the sofa and feeling the bump against his calves. He wobbled, trying to keep his balance just a moment longer. Then, swinging upward into the air, he jumped over the sofa, landing behind the couch and using it as a barrier to her movement. But he could feel her eyes following him, her body itching to follow him, every move he made being mirrored and reacted to in her mind. She was planning, plotting, just like he always did. Just like he had taught his sister so long ago.

Just a moment's pause and they were off again, darting around the room as each tried to get an advantage on their opponent.

He swung wide as he ran, barely missing an end table, before coming to a quick stop and throwing out an arm of his own, catching her shoulder before she could slow down or stop. Sakura was thrown back a few feet, hitting a large piece of wood from the destroyed furniture and falling against an antique étagère, but not injured.

His own injured arm tucked close to his body, he raised his right arm up from his side with a knife now securely grasped in his hand, held threateningly toward the kunoichi a few feet away. At least in this, he had the advantage. He was rarely unarmed. She had none of her weapons near her, while he was armed. And if he was right, she had no idea where he had put her sword or kunai.

"Do you think that's gonna stop me?"

He almost felt himself back up from the menace in her voice, only to widen his eyes in surprise as her hands flew into the signs for an ice jutsu, distracting him and forcing him to move into the center of the room to avoid large, sharp shards of frozen water. The barrage didn't last long, but it gave her enough time to get him into position. She then moved into a forceful, graceful almost-bow, her body bending at the knees and waist as her palm slapped the floor beneath them with a slapping noise. There was a small moment of clarity before he felt the chakra rush through the floor, and he jumped.

There was a gathering of energy, a moment of stillness as they both hung in the air, before he felt the force. Debris imploded in the room, like a force pushed everything in and up. He could feel the furniture, the floor, his niece following him upwards as the massive force blew out the windows, and he maneuvered himself backwards, blocking his chest from any impact while trying to land on the exposed part of the second floor hall.

His niece was crouched against the wall in what was once her bedroom, hanging there and watching him. He had a feeling she was toying with him, almost like she was taking out her frustration on him. Her current position reminded him of a bat, hanging in its cave, watching as an insect scurried across from it. This wasn't behavior he had ever thought she would display, and he found himself, for the first time in a long time, thinking that he couldn't predict someone's next move. He had never had someone watch him the way he watched others, and he could feel her words weigh down on him.

_I am Kazedama, too._

_I am Kazedama._

She was him, in another form. He could feel her eyes on him, wary, waiting to see what move he would make next. He could feel her planning her every move in accordance with what he was going to do, and briefly felt a kinship with her, this girl he thought didn't have the guts to be cutthroat. How wrong he was. He was seeing the blood come out in her now, the Kazedama in her fighting for her superiority and her existence in the world.

She was Kazedama, he just hadn't realized it until now. Now, when he watched her track his every move and swing her powerful, frail fists at him like her mother had done so long ago, trying to protect a young shinobi boy.

He could hear fighting in other parts of the house, and assumed that some form of back-up had come for her. He felt like he had been baited, been trapped, and he looked down at the floor for a second, noticing the emptiness of the hall and wondering where Jin had gone to in all the chaos. He shouldn't have to fight this fight alone, but it looked like he would have to, the same way it had been all his life.

There weren't many moves he could make in this situation considering he didn't have the ninja advantage his niece did, so he braced himself, and finally, jumped.

She jumped at the same time, the force behind her demolishing another wall of the house, and they met in the middle of the space, her foot flying toward him while his hand slipped through the air, slashing at her flying ankle and carving a shallow gash into the tender area. Her fingers flew into a minor fire jutsu, and he felt flames lick at him as he allowed himself to fall backwards, trying to put some distance in between himself and the fireball aimed at him.

The fell on opposite sides of the destroyed living room, immediately flashing out of sight before meeting in front of the glassless windows, Sakura landing a good punch on his shoulder, the bone sliding out of the joint with a pop, as his knife slashed at her bicep. She swung out, body beding unbelievably as her foot connected with the left side of his face and her other arm came up to grab his right wrist, immobilizing the weapon.

His head snapped to the side, blood coating his lips as he forced his feet to rush backward while flinging her hand off of him, first moving to the wall and then using it to push off, gain momentum, as he flew toward the door and into the study. His left arm was useless now, his head hurting immensely, and a knife meant he had to get too close to finish her off. With her being able to break bone with one touch, he needed something else.

In the study…there, he could hopefully find something else he could use, something that would extend his reach. Sakura moved to follow him, but ended up taking cover behind a bookcase near the door as he flung objects through the open entryway. But he wasn't paying attention, so focused on just keeping her out of the room, and he flung the long object from the fireplace mantle out the door after the expensive globe and the small booktable, flinching as he saw the glint and realized the mistake he had made.

Her sword.

They both watched, almost confused, as the weapon clattered among the broken floor and scattered pieces of furniture on the other side of the room. It only took seconds for her to flicker out of sight, rushing toward the glint of steel in the dust and out again, onto the left side of the room.

He rushed, scrambling over the expanse of the room, over to his own weapon in its place above his priceless rare editions of literature, grabbing the hilt and whipping it out of the scabbard before preparing for his niece's next move.

But she stood there, her sword grasped in her hand, not moving in the room.

* * *

She stood there, grasping her sword in her hand, not really accepting that he had flung her weapon into her hands. Literally. She knew he wouldn't leave the room without his own sword, but her mind was so caught up in the idea that he had actually flung a weapon to her that she wasn't concentrating, and she realized her mistake a little late. Her uncle took the opening she presented, flying at her with his sword raised, slashing at her chest.

She raised her sword protectively, blade meeting blade, before the force behind him pushed her back into the double doors of the living room. She couldn't get her other hand around to the knob so she could move into the foyer beyond, so she immediately calculated the force of chakra needed and pushed the energy into her hand, through her sword, pushing him back and away from her.

She knew she had to keep any swordfight short. While she loved her sword, such fighting was not her forte; her uncle was well-trained in this art and she was made for brute strength. He was much more skilled than she was with the weapon. She tried once, twice to get him to fall back, but it wasn't working. He stayed close, in range of her movement, leaving her little room to manuever.

He was working her toward a corner of the room, trying to cage her in so he could finish her off. And there was little she could do, really. He still had the addvantage, in skill and in reach. Their blades clanged, meeting once again, and she swung down hard, pushing his own blade to the floor before jumping to the left. He moved to follow her on unsure footing, and she swung wildly once, hoping to scare him into backing off, and they split apart. They ended up far enough apart, winded, staring each other down again.

"I will not go easily, Sakura."

She could feel anger bubbling up inside her, all of it directed at this man who had the gall to act like he was the injured party in this whole situation. She could see him, preening, standing so tall and proud every time he put her and her life down, every time he went after his family, and she couldn't take it.

She stood straight and rigid, her fingers flying into well-known signs around the hilt of her sword, and the room filled with fading pink sakura blossoms, falling beautifully and peacefully from the air above them. His eyes were wide with surprise as he watched her, not even thinking about the jutsu she must know until her realized that he had never seen one like this. He had forgotten, in the midst of their fight, that she was not just ninja, she was a _jounin, _trained by a Sannin_._ He would pay for it.

He scrambled around, trying to find a place in the room that the flowers wouldn't hit him. While they didn't look dangerous, he knew better. No ninja created a peaceful scene of falling flower petals, unless it was genjutsu or a trick. And he didn't feel the fadin sensation he had felt only once before, when put under genjutsu. Kunoichi were skilled in deception, in the art of looking innocent while being exceptional killers; his niece was no different.

But the room, while big, wasn't large enough to maneuver around the hundreds of petals her jutsu poured into the room from above.

A petal hit him, softly landing on the lapel of his suit, and he felt his right side bloom pain. There was no noise, just a feeling of cold, numbing pain spreading throughout his fraying nerves. Blood was flowing out of his chest, his breathing becoming shallow as his lungs were tormented by the force behind the jutsu, and he pushed his injured arm to his now blood soaked chest, hoping to stem the bleeding. But he could feel whatever poison she had trapped in that justu affecting him as well, flowing freely through the parts of his body still receiving blood, and he stumbled toward the wall, falling heavily against it.

"What…what is this?"

She stopped, ten feet away from him, her sword falling to her side limply. She took a tentative step forward, her face serious and grave as she stared at him. She could see his pain, his confusion, and for once in her life, she found herself reveling in someone's misery.

"My own jutsu. As you should well know, you have to develop one to become a jounin." She watched as he fought to stay upright, his will fighting with the realization that she could have killed him at anytime.

"I am a medical ninja, Matsu-sama. I am skilled with poisons, with anatomical knowledge. I know how to hit someone without actually hitting them."

She watched as he slumped against the wall, his sword held out as he tried to keep her away. He was beaten, broken, and still tried to hold her off. She could see that the fight had done major damage, that he wouldn't walk away. So she stayed where she was, merely watching as he panicked.

The fighting in other parts of the mansion was winding down, and briefly she allowed herself to wonder who was here. But it fled soon, as other thoughts invaded. Standing here, watching as her uncle died, she wondered where the children were, where her aunt was, if they would be upset for what she was about to do, what she would let happen. It wouldn't change her mind, but she felt a momentary pang of guilt at taking their family member from them.

She stepped forward as his sword fell, clanging against the broken floor of the living room and coming to lay against his folded legs. His panting was dying down, his eyes becoming glassy, and she could see the life leaving him bit by bit as the blood soaked through his expensive suit onto the floor beneath him. The medic in her screamed that she should help him, at least allow him to live, while the ninja inside argued that he wasn't her first kill and wouldn't be her last.

"Sakura…"

She didn't move closer to him, still apprehensive, as she had seen ninja killed by dying opponents before. But she listened as he rasped out the words that would live in her memory for years to come, her eyes memorizing everything from the squint of his eyes to the movement of his red lips.

"You truly are…Kazedama. Only we…can be…this cruel." He stopped, coughing and choking as the blood in his throat bubbled up. "Only we…kill our own family."

She looked at him, the horror in her mind not showing on her face.

His eyes met hers, scorn, acceptance, even pride showing in his eyes.

"The blood is strong in you. You can…try to be Haruno. _Try_." He laughed, wet and sick noises coming from his torn chest as he mocked her, even now.

"I don't have to try. I _am _Haruno."

He grinned.

"No. You are…mine. _Me_. Kazedama."

He coughed once more, his hand tightening near his lap, and was still.

She didn't move toward his body, didn't move out of the room. She merely stood there among the ruins of the once-lovely mansion's main rooms, staring at the body of her uncle and contemplating his last words.

The double doors to the room being slammed open didn't register in her mind; neither did her aunt's scream.

All she could see was her uncle's pride shining in his eyes as he died at the hands of his niece, his beloved sister's daughter.

* * *

The mansion was in chaos, servants running around the area and flinching every time a new body was found in one of the rooms, surveying the damage and cleaning they woudl have to do while wondering where the master and mistress were in all the destruction. The teams of ninja went almost unheeded throughout the house and met in the foyer, moving toward the sounds of crying in the living room.

None expected what they saw.

They had known Sakura was fighting, and Sasuke and Naruto had even gotten a glimpse of her slamming her fist into her uncle's shoulder earlier as they made their way around the perimeter of the house. But the room hadn't been destroyed then, and the damage was awe-inspiring. It looked like someone had thrown out an Oodama Rasengan, demolishing the area entirely. They could see through the ceiling, through the room upstairs into the halls, even see that there was what looked like part of a bed collapsed against one of the walls in the large living area.

Sakura was standing on the opposite side of the room, near the entrance to what looked like an office, staring at the slumped body of her uncle. An older woman and two children stood behind her, the children softly crying as the woman tried to get Sakura to talk, to respond to anything.

Naruto stepped forward, his hand out, but stopped. It had been so long since he had seen her, and he almost didn't recognize her, with the dark hair and long, thin body. She wasn't the girl he remembered; she had become this strong, vibrant woman in the years she had been away. And by the looks of things, her punch had only gotten stronger.

He almost couldn't deal with it. This Sakura, this woman, wasn't the one who occupied so much of his memory. She had changed so much in so little time, and he couldn't see the girl he knew anymore, not in that heavy stance, the mournful look. He wanted to rant, to scream at what the world had done to her, but he felt like something was clogging his throat. So he stood, watching, feeling that for once, it wasn't him that she needed. It was a strange feeling; he didn't like it at all.

The others stood back, with Temari approaching the children and trying, successfully, to explain who they were and remove them from the room. The Sand nin followed her as they escorted the children outside and away from the carnage inside the house, leaving the Konoha team and the two women in the room with the body of the Kazedama head.

"Sakura? Please."

Nanao moved forward again, her hand coming to rest on her niece's shoulder.

"Please," she said, her voice trembling. "Whatever he said, don't listen."

Sakura's green eyes swung around to her aunt.

"He said…he said I was him. I am just like him."

Nanao swallowed, looking at the young woman in front of her. She could see the distress in her niece's eyes, the pain at being compared to someone she had grown to hate. And she felt that first stab of the despising feeling she had felt for her husband for years now, remembered how it had begun and what it had first felt like. She felt it all over again, in this room, seeing what he had done to her niece, how he manipulated her mentally so her could torment her long after he was gone.

"He was wrong. You are _nothing _like him, Sakura. You should know that."

Sakura's head swung down, her eyes closing as she tried to contain herself. Her brown hair hung limp and dirty like a ragged curtain, blocking her from everyone else.

"Really?"

Her chest moved as she laughed silently, her confusing emotion not going down as easily as she had hoped. Her hand flew up, pointing and gesturing at the body slumped against the wall.

"I'm pretty sure I just killed my uncle. Doesn't that make me just as despicable as he was? Killing family members? Isn't that exactly what Kazedama _do_? We destroy, we kill, we hurt those we should love. I'm no better than he was, tormenting my mom for years."

Nanao looked her, the grief spilling out of both women. They had both done things they weren't proud of, all because of the last name they bore. Sakura shook her head suddenly, willing her thoughts and emotions away, before grabbing her aunt's hand and squeezing. She was trying to remember where she was, who could possibly be standing behind her, and she didn't want anyone to see her break down like this. Her eyes flew open, and she took in the room.

"The children?"

"Outside, Sakura."

She turned to the voice of the teacher she hadn't seen in years, and she felt all the emotion well up inside her again. They were here. They had all come to help her. It was bittersweet, seeing that they cared enough to come and try to save her, even though now she wasn't sure she was worth saving.

But still, she couldn't help the swell of happiness that bubbled up inside her at seeing them. It was like pages of her memory being ripped apart and pieced together, all of them standing there looking at her.

"Kakashi? Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, beaming sheepishly at his friend, and she jumped across the room to him, tackling him as she slammed against him and grabbed him in a fierce hug. She could smell the sweat and dirt on him, but she didn't care. It was Naruto holding her, her best friend in the world, and she couldn't help but savor anything she could get to remember this moment. It had been so long, too long. When she had first left, it had almost killed her. His presence had been a part of her life she never really noticed until he wasn't there every day, 'Sakura-chan' this and 'Sakura-chan' that, meeting her for lunch and livening up her life.

"Aw, Sakura-chan, come on. It hasn't been that long."

She half-laughed, half-sobbed against his shoulder, realizing just how much she had missed them all while she had been gone. He held her tighter, his eyes meeting her aunt's eyes across the room as Nanao, nodding and setting her shoulders, made her way over to the ninja.

"Well, baka, you won't believe the stories I have to tell you. It's been crazy."

She let go of him, moving back and wiping at her eyes, taking him in, his longer hair and the little lines forming around his eyes, before nodding at Yamato and Sai as they moved over to the body of her uncle. She stepped toward Kakashi who, awkwardly, pulled her into a half-hug under one of his arms, his eyes crinkling and his face beaming under his mask. He patted her shoulder, smiled down at her one more time, and let her go. She knew that was all she would get from the Copy Ninja, and she was grateful. It was enough to know that he had missed her, cared about her, enough to come after her. Especially after what he must have felt when he came back from a mission to find that the girl who had been placed in his care had supposedly run off, turned traitor. It meant a lot that he had come this far.

And finally, Sasuke.

She saw him, standing on the other side of Naruto, looking almost uncertain but not wanting to show it. His feigned nonchalance in the moment only made her heart ache that much more, as she could remember all the similar moments from when they were just genin, he trying to stand there looking unconcerned as she or Naruto had to patch each other's wounds. He had grown so much, no longer the little boy in her memory or the young man she could remember from fifteen. He was a man, tall and strong in front of her. She didn't know him anymore, and it almost scared her, that she had been gone while everyone else got to know him again.

She stepped toward him, unsure of what to say or how to act, not even knowing what she felt about his presence at the moment, and stopped in front of him. His eyes were almost shining, at least in her opinion. She hadn't seen such a look on his face in a very long time, even before he had left.

"One of these days, you'll have to tell me what happened, okay?"

She didn't give him time to answer, though, before she flung her arms around him, grabbing onto him and squeezing. She felt like it had been a lifetime since she had actually seen him up close, felt him, breathed him in. The term 'traitor' didn't matter anymore, merely that he was here in front of her, for her. He had come for her. It was something she could never have imagined until it was right in front of her.

He hesitated, uncomfortable, before one of his hands came up and patted her on the back, his other hand resting on her arm.

"I missed you, you know. We all did," she said, her voice quivering and trembling like goosebumps.

She could hear Yamato and Sai approaching them, and she stepped back, once again wiping her eyes as she stared at the boy who had become a man without her knowing. She felt Sai come up behind her, his arm falling onto her shoulders as he made some sarcastic remark about her fists, and she elbowed him in the side, grateful for his own brand of humor at such a terrible time. She made a flimsy remark about his height and he gave her a little shrug, moving back a little and adopting his signature stance of readiness. Yamato smiled at her as he passed, his large brown eyes conveying that he, while not nearly as close to her as the others, had missed her as well. And she could feel herself moving past everything already; it was as if she never left, right now.

They moved out of the house, meeting up with Temari's group in the driveway to the house.

As soon as the children saw her, they rushed up, grabbing onto her and crying about the fighting and the explosions, and Nanao moved toward them, bending down to look them in the eye and assuring them they were now safe. Everyone milled about, bandaging wounds and packing up any supplies they had used while waiting for Kakashi and Temari to get together a game plan, and she and Nanao explained to the children what the day really meant.

They were free. They were going to Konoha.

Lawyers, estate matters, the money could all be dealt with later. Right now all they wanted to do was get as far away as possible, so they could forget what had happened for a little while, set up a new life. Sakura assured them it would be possible, especially in her home village.

They had everything prepared and ready, and moved out soon enough, flying through the trees toward Kaze and Sand, since it was the closest ninja village to their location. A stop in Suna would allow them to recharge, refresh, and get ready for the trip back home. It would also allow some time for things in Konoha to settle down before she introduced her family to the city.

They travelled through the forest to Niigata, and hurried through the city as quickly as possible, hoping that no one would know so soon what had occurred. Sakura and Naruto each carried one of the children, while Yamato carried Nanao, since none of the family had the training or strength to try to travel as fast as the ninja. But the trip through the city was still intense and at a pace unreal to the civilian members of the group, as Kazedama Matsu had many friends in the city, even as bloodthirsty as he was, and they didn't need to be caught by one of them. With their current condition, they wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.

They made it into the outskirts of the city safely, then into the desert surrounding the lush city area, and finally over the border of Kaze in a few long hours. The trip wasn't eventful, but it was long and compacting the exhaustion everyone felt. The sun was due to set soon, and there was no way they would make it to Suna for two days anyway, so they felt it would be better to stop and rest after the day they all had.

A spot was picked among the rocky desert landscape, one of the few soft and sandy patches among the barren rock landscape, and they all stopped to rest.

So camp was set up, mainly just a few tents and a small fire, and the children were fed and put into a tent shortly after nightfall. Nanao joined them soon after, begging off the after dinner conversation in light of what would most likely be discussed. While she was innocent in much of what had occurred, Matsu was still her husband, and she knew many would take that to be proof enough of her guilt. She had faith in her niece, but she felt that it would be better to stay away from the large group of ninja until everything had settled from the earlier fighting.

Once the family had gone to sleep, Temari set up a watch, mainly consisting of the Suna team, since the Konoha team had traveled much longer than they had. Those not on watch went to get some sleep, and soon the Konoha team was alone with their friend except for Temari, who stayed out with them, rubbing the small bump in her belly.

No one really wanted to discuss what had happened, not yet at least. The conversation Nanao had so feared never did come, and there was a strained silence for a few moments, until Sakura picked up on Temari's movement.

"When are you due, Temari?"

The blonde looked at the woman across from her.

"Oh, I still have a few months to go. I know I shouldn't be out, but I felt this was important enough. Besides, those guys were weak anyway." She cracked a smile.

Sakura smiled back.

"Is this your first?"

Temari laughed, looking at her.

"Oh, no! Apparently, Shikamaru likes having chaos in the house, as much as he complains. This is my third child. I have two sons, twins, as well."

Sakura tried to imagine Gaara as an uncle, and failed miserably.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan, you've missed a lot!" Naruto sat up straight, his hands moving as fast as his mouth. "Temari and Shikamaru are having another kid, and so are me and Hinata! I'm gonna be a dad again!"

Sakura smiled at him, part of her feeling a stab of pain at missing out on Naruto becoming a dad. These people, so important to her, had lives she had missed out on. How long would it take for her to catch up, to get past what had been going on the past few years? How long would it be before she could walk the streets of her village and understand what people were gossiping about?

"Well, really, Hag, Naruto doesn't do much. He spends his time hiding from Hyuuga-sama in the most embarrassing ways…"

"I do not!"

"You do, dobe, and you know it."

"Now, boys, let's not fight about—"

"Well, it's not true!"

"Anyway, Sakura, you really need to hear about Shizune and Genma, because it is the most unbelievable story…"

"And about Ino. She's really more trouble than she's worth now a days!"

"And we have a new…"

She watched as they all fought to tell her stories of what was going on in everyone's life, what all she had missed, and conversation blurred. This was foreign territory for her, having to get to know her friends all over again. She couldn't remember how to act around them, how she was around them. She could only remember her personas, her new life, the new Sakura. The one who hid under sarcasm and her fists, who had to be paranoid and scrutinize everyone. She could almost see herself leaning against Hisadachi's shed-like house, the bastard, joking and cynical about the terrible world she had lived in the past few years.

She felt there was no one who would ever understand, no one who could possibly understand what it felt like to be staring at your own world in such a new way. To stare at herself in a new way...

But she pushed it down, and told them a few stories of her time out of Konoha; she told them how she met Reno, of the time she spent in Moon before really getting started, of her meeting with a Rain ninja not long after Akatsuki fell. She explained what kind of jobs she had taken, the places she had seen, the people she had gotten to know that she probably would never have considered friends until the mission came along.

She could see a wise look in Kakashi and Yamato's eyes, as if they understood what she meant. She had lived in the recesses of humanity for so long, gotten to know the people who lived that life daily, and finally realized why they did what they did. They had both been there before. It made her uncomfortable, this new acceptance into some world she had never seen in her ninja career before now, and looked away.

As the night got later, the conversation sputtered out, one by one the ninja fell to sleep or wandered off to nearby tents to relax and unwind. But she wasn't tired, couldn't find it in her to sleep after the day she had had.

She made an excuse to Kakashi, something about going and taking the place of one of the ninja on watch right now. He nodded, going back to his reading, and she wandered off into the night. Sakura took the place of a young female chuunin from Sand, someone whose name she didn't know, and sat on the small rock the girl had found, looking out over the desert.

What was she supposed to do now? Going back to normal sounded great, but she wasn't sure what that life really held for her. Sure, once she got going back in Konoha, everything would fall into place. But she felt like she was in the middle of something, the end not yet clear to her, standing on the edge. She felt like the desert in front of her, barren and unrecognizable, foreign.

She stared out at the blank landscape for about an hour, just thinking about all she had missed, all she had left behind, before hearing footsteps behind her.

She had noticed someone moving by camp earlier, and didn't think anything of it, and she knew the same person was approaching now. She sighed, sitting up and readying herself for whatever conversation or debriefing Kakashi was most likely wanting to have, glancing up at the stars lighting the sky before looking up at the person that had stopped beside her.

She stared unabashedly.

Not Kakashi.

Sasuke gracefully flopped down beside her, silent.

She wasn't sure what to say to him. She had almost avoided him the entire trip, scared of what she should say, what he would say, not knowing what to say, really. Even though she had seen him in Aisen, it had never really registered in her mind until he was in the house, in Niigata.

She settled for the mundane.

"It's quiet out here. I'm not used to it."

He looked over at her, glancing, before looking back out at the desert.

"I've lived in cities most of the time I've been gone. I'm used to noise."

"You get used to it. The silence."

They were silent a few moments, listening to the wind.

"I…I'm not sure what to say to you, exactly." He looked over at her, scrutinizing. Sakura looked sheepish, shrugging her shoulders. "When I left, well, you were…still…yeah."

When he said nothing, she sighed, shrugging again before allowing herself to slump a bit. She picked at the hem of her shirt with her hands, not focusing on the man near her. Why was he here? Why did he come out here, if he wasn't going to say anything?

"I guess it's just new, is all. I'll get used to it, like everything else."

"Hn."

"Well, there's a lot to get used to, now. I'm sure you being back is just one of many things I'll need to digest."

"Not that much has changed, Sakura."

She whipped her head up and looked at him, almost unbelieving.

"Really, _almighty_ Sasuke-sama?! My friends aren't having families, living lives I know nothing about? You aren't back in the village? I didn't miss the fall of Akatsuki, Shizune's wedding, Naruto finally being accepted as a future Hokage? Could have fooled me."

He scoffed.

"You're still annoying."

"Don't call me that!" She scooted a few inches away from him. "You don't know me anymore. You have no idea who I am."

He just scoffed, again.

"Hn."

"And don't…don't do that, either. It's unnerving." She released a breath, blowing the fringe of bangs on her forehead upwards. "Everything's unnerving. It's like there are two of me."

She settled her chin on her hand, looking out on the darkness.

"It's not right, is all. Not what I expected. I guess part of me really thought nothing would change."

"Unreasonable, at best."

She resisted the urge to slap him like she would have Sai or Naruto. This was Sasuke, sure, but she didn't really know him. Not anymore.

"You just, well, you can't understand."

He looked at her, this time in disbelief. She mirrored his look, turning the same facial expression right back at him. But she really expected whatever emotion he was trying to release to stop right there, as this new, strange Sasuke had already been way too open around her. She almost jumped when he finally spoke, deadpan and disbelieving.

"I can't."

"No, you can't."

He laughed, bitterly, before pushing up off the ground with his hands, struggling a bit to stand and get his footing. The late hour was taking its toll, and he hadn't slept in over two days.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"And what do you mean by that?!" she said, incredulous and defensive. "Trust me, I could have handled it. I'm a big girl now, Sasuke. I don't need any knights on white horses riding in to save me."

"Like I said," he sighed, muttering, "still annoying."

She rose up a bit, her face and neck stretching to make herself seem taller. A look of pure disgust was on her face, one he had never seen her wear before, and he briefly wondered what had happened to her.

"I lived in _Aisen_. On my _own_. I could have dealt with my uncle, trust me."

He just stared down at her, seemingly unaffected by the tone in her voice, and she slumped again, folding into herself.

He looked down at her, so forlorn and not the Sakura he remembered. She had finally grown up a bit, realized what everyone else already knew: the world wasn't the bright place she had once thought it to be. Things change, life's not black and white. She was now in the grey area, and she didn't know how to handle it. He wasn't sure what her uncle had said to her, but obviously, it was affecting her more than she would admit.

"I've been there, Sakura. I had to come back to a world I didn't know, too."

She watched as he walked a little ways behind her before stopping, his back still to her.

"You know, you can always just accept it. Just accept whatever you did and move on."

"And has that worked for you, Sasuke?" she asked, her voice hushed but strong, almost accusing.

She saw his shoulders tremble a little, and she felt that she was seeing inside him, seeing the man he had grown into.

"No, it didn't. But I'm not you, Sakura. I doubt you could ever do some of the things I have done."

"You might be surprised," she said, her tone quivering and so quiet he almost didn't hear her.

She stared out into the desert night, contemplating the new Sasuke in her life and listening to his footsteps as he walked back to part of a world she didn't know anymore.

* * *

A/N: Well, only the epilogue to go! I'm working on it, since I'm sick and bored right now, and it should be done soon. But I make no promises. I'd like to have it out as a Christmas gift, though, so look for it!


	12. Epilogue

A/N: Epilogue! We're finally here! It's been a great, long, windy road. There have been good times, times I wanted to kill the characters, and times I thought I wouldn't finish (like having to delete this sucker and reload all of it on one site). But I finished, finally, and while I'll miss them, I'm glad to have it done.

I want to apologize to anyone who followed this story, wondering where I went the last, like, year and a half. Graduate school has just about killed me, coupled with trips all over the U.S... both sisters being pregnant and having babies, two jobs, and life's problems in general. It's been one of those years already, where just finding time to sleep was important. And, truthfully, I almost didn't finish. This chapter sat at three pages for months, as I second-guessed and doubted myself. I was torn over what I was writing, where the characters wanted to go, and the unhappiness of some readers. I'm sorry to those who haven't found this to their liking, but it is my story, and ultimately, the characters chose where to go when. This was almost the breaking point, but some great contacts in the Naruto FF world gave me the courage to keep going.

I want to thank all of you who reviewed, who helped me, who ever pushed me to finish or gave me happy butterflies because you actually liked it. I never thought it would go over as well as it did, and I'm thankful for your enjoyment, your patience, and your reading. This story wouldn't have gone anywhere without the encouragement I received.

This chapter is a little different. There is no song, no typical set up following the other. It is a collage of moments leading to a resolution. The songs are gone, as is the shadow that hung over Sakura throughout the story.

By the way: yes, there is an, ahem, adult ending. It's not available on , as the censors there scare me. But it can be found on , for any who are interested.

"Someday You Will Be Loved: Epilogue"

* * *

Nothing had ever looked as good to her as the gates of Konoha did right now. It had been years, literally, since she had laid eyes on her village, and she drank it in like fine sake. It was beautiful.

She could see Izumo and Kotetsu, bored at the gate station, staring at her. And on the way to the tower, she passed many people who stopped, stared, blinked to see if the brunette they now saw was really who they thought she was. They could see streaks of fine pink blending in her hair, the green eyes they used to know so well, but it was like the imprint of a memory upon another person, and the people of Konoha weren't sure—perhaps they were just seeing what they wanted to see.

She took in the growth of her home, the recent damage from Danzou's troops, the new children in the academy yard. Everything was old and new at the same time, like two pictures superimposed on each other, blending and mixing into a bright new world. Her cousins laughed and giggled behind her, pointing out shops and restaurants to their mother. Sai was remarking on how they had repaired the hole in the library roof so quickly, while Naruto babbled to her aunt about the neighborhoods and parks they were near.

As they passed some unnamed, at least to her, Hyuuga, she heard the gasping intake of breath and the void of air as ninja poofed out of existence, racing to tell friends what missing nin they had just seen escorted into town.

Missing nin.

She forgot that she still wore that title around her neck. These people didn't know that she wasn't just some common criminal. Just another pain to add to too many.

As they approached the building, ANBU guards came out, swarming around the group and escorting them up the stairs that she could remember so easily, up to an office where she had spent so much of her time. The tower was crawling with ninja, running back and forth in their haste to get things done, but most of them stopped and stared as she was escorted upstairs.

She could hear Tsunade's voice now, booming and loud, down the corridor. She saw flashes of memory of the woman who had meant so much to her, practices and meetings and sparring sessions with her shishou.

Everyone continued to stare, stopping to look, some even following the crazy procession of ANBU that had surrounded the old Team 7. By the time they reached the corridor leading to the Hokage's offices, there was a full-on parade of ninja following her escort team.

Shizune stopped and stared as the group filtered into the large hall by the Hokage office, before quickly coming to her senses and running to the large double doors, flinging them open. She looked around for a moment, the remorse of interrupting a meeting battling with what she thought was more important.

"Tsunade-sama!"

The Godaime looked up at her secretary, about to lash out for the interruption of her meeting with the few remaining council members. But then, she realized who stood behind Shizune, who was right outside the room.

The office was quickly crowded, with the council, the ANBU, and the travelers. Tsunade stepped in front of the brunette, standing between Sasuke and Naruto, and she reached out, forgetting who else was in the room.

"Sakura…"

In a flash, Sakura found herself being choked and strangled by the hug she was receiving. She tried to push away after a few moments, protesting the lack of air, but she was unable. The fleshy chest and impregnable strength of her mentor made it impossible.

"Baa-chan! You'll kill her!"

Tsunade immediately let go, backing up and settling herself in her regular authoritative stance. And the façade would have worked, except there was a bright smile on the slug princess' face.

"Welcome home, Sakura."

The ninja just half-grinned and nodded, wary of all the people in the room.

The remaining council members looked at the returned missing nin in a sort of daze, wondering why she wasn't restrained, cuffed, _something_ in the presence of the Hokage. But slowly it filtered through. Surely someone had been feeding them information, and with the welcome the former apprentice had received, perhaps it was her?

Or perhaps not.

Four more ANBU appeared in the already crowded office, all behind the puff of smoke that revealed Morino Ibiki. They reacted quickly, acting as if Sakura was a threat to the illustrious persons in the room. They separated Sakura from her team and therefore, her support, forming a box around the young woman to prevent movement in any direction.

Ibiki stepped toward the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama…"

He looked almost reluctant, and it was obvious Tsunade wanted to argue with what she knew had to be done. It was standard protocol for any returning missing nin, no matter what. The Hokage could argue all day about it being a mission, but either way, an S-Class debriefing was needed, and until Sakura was officially a Konoha nin once more on paper, she was a missing nin. She was Ibiki's.

Sakura put her hands out after seeing the mental argument going on between her mentor and the interrogations specialist, knowing what she would have to do but already dreading the cell she knew would be waiting for her. She, like any high-ranking ninja, knew what awaited her in Ibiki's "lair."

"Baa-chan? C'mon…"

Naruto looked so hopeful, and Sakura just shushed him. She knew it had to be done, even for the small amount of time it would take for Tsunade to sign all the necessary paperwork. It didn't matter, though, because she was back. By the end of the day, she would be free again, free to roam her city, her home. Free to see her friends, be a citizen of Konoha again.

Sasuke and Sai looked like they were about to step forward, about to fight the ANBU that had appeared to take her down to their levels of the building.

_It was worth a few more hours of restriction._

"I'll go willingly, Shishou."

Tsunade glanced back at her, thankful that someone had taken the decision from her, for once. Ibiki motioned to one of the nin, who quickly moved forward and cuffed her. Even the famed interrogator looked upset about what he had to do.

"Just…just get it taken care of quickly, hm?" Sakura almost pleaded, her eyes never leaving the scarred face of the man in front of her.

Ibiki nodded, and chakra draining cuffs appeared on Sakura's wrists a second later, no doubt courtesy of one of the many ANBU surrounding her. In a well-practiced maneuver, the ANBU had her restrained, in their hands, and out of the office through a teleportation jutsu in under three seconds.

The remainder of what had once been Team Seven, Team Kakashi, and a motley group under Yamato-taichou just stared on in silence. She was home, but her arrest made the truth finally sink in: _it still wasn't like it was, before._

* * *

_8 Months Later_

"Sakura nee-chan! Hey!"

She looked around, her now pink hair flying around her face and into Reno's, searching for her cousin. She could hear him, but the street was so crowded she couldn't pick him out.

"Over here, nee-chan!"

She looked to the right and there they were, her aunt and both of her cousins. They were dressed in pretty, luxurious formal kimono, all ready for the night's festivities. She waved at them, almost jumping up and down with the excitement of seeing them after her long mission.

She felt like the five weeks she'd been gone were really months, and the entire time she had wondered if she would ever be home again. Kakashi had warned her that it would feel that way, like she had never been home, like she was still living life away. He was right, but being home made her feel like she had never left.

She was pulled out of her musings by her cousins literally jumping to her, arms flying around her waist. Her aunt approached much more sedately, smiling and happy.

"How have you been? Are you alright? No injuries?"

"None, Nanao oba-chan. I'm fine."

"When did you get back?"

"Last night, late."

Nanao nodded, smiling at Reno as he bent down to pick up Misaki, who had switched from hugging her cousin to hugging the redhead, and threw her into the air.

"C'mon squirt! I just saw you a few days ago!"

Sakura looked at Akira, who had finally backed away and was standing by his mother.

"You want me to do that to you?"

He scoffed, giving her a look of pure disdain.

"I'm fourteen now. Of course not, nee-chan."

She laughed, ruffling his hair. Of course he was. He had grown so quickly here, becoming just another boy in Konoha, going to school and hanging out with his friends. He had gotten a part-time job with a local merchant, picking up the practice of business with a flare only Kazedama possessed. After his graduation from the Konoha civilian school, she was sure he would have no problem making a life for himself in Konoha. He had been doing so well since they came here.

He had acclimated to Konoha much more quickly than his sister, at any rate. She was still getting used to life here, and her enrollment into the Ninja Academy hadn't made it any easier. Who knew that she, the sweet little girl that abhorred violence of every sort, would ever want to be a ninja?

Well, they all did now. Misaki had made her decision known only a month after their arrival in Konoha, stating that she wanted to be as strong as her nee-san, and be a medical ninja to boot. The girl had excellent chakra control, almost as good as Sakura's, so she was accepted, despite her age. Med-nin were always needed. And with her cousin to train her, she would definitely become important at the hospital.

The small group eventually moved out of the middle of the road, heading on down the street to the meeting place in front of the tower. Sakura was going to be allowed up top today, but she would stay down with them for just a little while. It seemed like it had been too long since she had seen the remnants of her family.

"Oba-chan, how are the repairs coming?"

Nanao smiled, flicking her fan.

"Perfectly. The house is simply gorgeous, Sakura. Your mother…well, she had good taste. If we can get this other bathroom added, we will be content."

Sakura nodded, memories of her childhood home filtering into her mind. It was really the perfect house for them. Plenty of space, but it wasn't so big that they would feel the house was anything like their old one near Niigata. Anyway, this house was full of sunshine and laughter, a home for a loving family. It was nothing like the cold, cruel mansion in Niigata.

"And you guys? School coming along well?"

Akira made a face, as did Misaki.

The adults laughed.

Soon they were standing before the tower, with most of Konoha's residents. Everyone had turned up to see the newest Hokage be introduced, even though everyone was pretty sure who it would be. No one could have missed Naruto's shouting the past few months as he was being prepped for this day. Still, it was always a big celebration in Konoha, sort of like a festival of the highest degree.

The kids soon wandered away from the trio of adults, longing to be carefree on the grassy area in front of the library with the rest of the children, civilian and shinobi alike. They were fitting in so well, already having friends and normal day to day lives in their new city.

"Sakura, are you sure you don't want to go check on your friend before the ceremony?"

Reno nodded, looking at her intently.

"Ya know I can watch the squirts and Nan-chan here. Go 'head. We'll be here when it's done."

She glanced up at the windows to the Hokage's office, wishing to see her friends yet, at the same time, wanting to stay with her family.

"Just go, Sakura," Nanao said, smiling.

"I was planning to go up there later, either way. A few more moments down here won't matter." She smiled, exasperated, as her aunt made shooing motions at her. "Besides, I haven't seen you guys in over a month! Shouldn't you want me to spend time with you?"

"Just go!" Reno and Nanao said at the same time, motioning her yet again toward the tower entrance.

A few more seconds of wavering, and she was nodding at them, saying her goodbyes before heading inside.

The halls were bustling as everyone tried to get ready to make Naruto the official Rokudaime. Ninja smiled at her as she progressed up the tower to the Hokage's offices, some she knew and some she didn't.

Her steps slowed as she neared the rooms, and she could hear the cacophony of chaos coming from inside. She could vaguely hear Tsunade yelling at Naruto over everyone else, but it was Ino's loud shout of "Stay Still, moron!" that made her slow her pace even more, almost stopping in the middle of the crowded hallway.

Yes, she wanted to see her friends. But she wasn't a coward, and she would admit that she was a little nervous about walking into that room.

After everything had been sorted out, and the first month of being back in Konoha had yielded to missions again, she hadn't seen them much. At all, really. The only people she had seen, other than her family, were her old teammates. Sure, there had been nights out where she had run into the old Rookie Nine, but everything was still awkward and, eventually, she had given up ever getting the relationships she once had back.

There still seemed to be some resentment lingering in the air, too, as if she had chosen to leave them and never wanted to come back. Sasuke had confided in her, one night, after quite a bit of sake, that he had felt the same for months—even now, sometimes.

That, Sakura thought, had to be the largest difference in her new life in Konoha. Sasuke. He was still the same little shit he had always been, broody and arrogant to a fault, but he had changed, too, and for the better. He was open with Naruto and herself, to a point that they had never thought possible.

They had developed an interesting friendship, one based on their shared experiences on this plane, outside the relationships of Konoha ninja but still in tied to their lovely city. It was a lonely place, living outside the din, and they both became friends again through their experience of it.

Never mind the fact that they were both the only ones in the Rookie Nine left without spouses, other than Kiba (who had remained single for totally different, and perverted, reasons). Well, and Sai, although he didn't really count. The day Sai got married was the day she would cut off her own hand, and he wasn't an original member of the little group.

_Basically_, she thought, _we're friends because of our pathetic-ness_.

Sakura shook her head and steeled her nerves, determined to greet Naruto before the ceremony started and she was unable to really congratulate him.

* * *

_3 Months Later_

There had been a party last night. Right at this moment, hung over and still wrapped up in a knot of blankets, Sakura didn't care to remember who threw it or why they had one, she just wanted something to get the alcohol out of her system.

Oh, god. _What did she drink last night?_

She rolled out of bed, scrubbing at her face and making her way to bathroom, all the time walking with the unsteady gait of someone who had one too many the night before. Her morning ablutions were quick, just a quick brush of her hair, teeth, and some water splashed on her face to clear the sleep from her eyes and get rid of the small traces of makeup she could feel on her cheeks.

Breakfast was the next duty of the day.

There was a lump on her couch, and all she could see was spiky black hair waving in the artificial breeze of the air conditioner.

If she remembered correctly, he was worse off than she was. She vaguely had an impression of assisting her teammate as he, as Naruto would say, 'prayed to the porcelain god.'

Breakfast would need to be light, then. Coffee was quickly going, as was rice and a bland miso soup. It would be a decent breakfast, but hopefully bland enough to not cause Sasuke even more time in the bathroom. She felt a giggle build in her chest, but held it in, sure the shaking would kill her pounding head.

She padded silently to the sofa taking up much of the adjoining living room of her apartment, standing over him and staring silently down at him. He looked so peaceful, so content when he slept nowadays. She could remember, when they were young, that sleep was something he feared. Night was when the nightmares struck, filled with his dying family and his brother's supposed treachery. Now, though, night was easier on him, and he slept not fitfully but serenely, at least most of the time. No one who lived through what he had as a child escaped the occasional nightmare.

She leaned down slowly, shaking his shoulder, and amazingly got no response. Usually he would have woken up quickly with her moving about and staring at him; it only proved how sick he felt. And how comfortable he felt in her house.

She would admit to herself that she was always happy when he stayed the night here. It was much closer than his own apartment to the Hokage building and the bars, where everyone met to enjoy some relaxing time outside the office, and he frequently ended up crashing on her couch.

"Sasuke?" she whispered, softly, now almost afraid to wake him up. If he was this tired…

There was a small movement, and his arm came up to block the bright light of the mid-morning sun.

"Aa?" was his husky answer, his eyes still closed. He shifted under the blanket she had thrown on him the night before, turning his body more toward her than the back of the couch, which he had been snuggled up to. Heh. Sasuke, and snuggling. Her mind once again shut down her giggles.

"Breakfast is ready. It's sufficiently tasteless, so it shouldn't bother your stomach. There are some pills as well. They'll help with the nausea and headache." His head bounced once, the imitation of a nod.

"I'm going to slip on some shoes and run and get Reno. Otherwise, he'll miss breakfast. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She turned to slip on a pair of sandals to run down the open corridor of her building and grab her redheaded friend, who still refused to feed himself, and missed Sasuke's eyes shooting open.

He winced with pain, but slowly sat up, letting the blanket pool at his waist.

"I wouldn't do that."

She shifted a tiny bit, turning her head toward him as she dug for her sandals in the front closet, making a face that obviously meant 'why?' It also, conveniently, covered up her staring at his pale, muscled, and most importantly bare, chest.

"I believe he had company when he retired last night."

Her eyes widened comically, and she felt her entire body flush. Well, then maybe he wouldn't need her to make him breakfast this morning.

She had been worried about the awkwardness that could develop, having Reno, a civilian, being introduced and included in her shinobi friends' group, but everything had went well. Almost, to be truthful, a little too well. He was quite popular with the chuunin females. He might not wear a shinobi headband, but he was strong, had some killer stories, and as she knew very well, a killer body.

As a matter of fact, the only problem had been Sasuke and Reno. It had taken months to get Sasuke to even talk to her redheaded friend, and even now, he was somewhat cool to him. She didn't understand it, and when she asked Reno what was going on, he just grinned sassily and told her she was clueless.

Maybe. Maybe not.

She stood and shut the door to the closet, listening to water running in the bathroom. Sasuke would be quick, she was sure, and they would sit down to breakfast before getting a late start on the day.

By the time he entered the small kitchen she had everything on the table and was already eating her own soup. The coffee didn't blend well with traditional fare, but she couldn't give it up. After she watched Sasuke prepare a large cup of the dark substance for himself, she realized he couldn't either.

He cleared his throat, sending surreptitious glances her way as he stirred his soup, moved his rice around, barely eating anything at all. He was nervous about something, she knew.

It couldn't be the hang over; it wasn't the first time. She could still see him wincing every once in a while, so he was still feeling pretty bad, but it had never caused him discomfort before. Like it was the first time she saw him in this position! Please!

"I…ahh—I wanted to talk to you anyway. I mean, without Reno here. I suppose this morning is as good a time as any." He set his coffee cup down, his arms folding onto each other and resting on the kitchen table.

She continued eating, nodding at him, only belatedly realizing his silence meant he wanted her full attention.

"Well, what's up, then?" Her green eyes locked onto his black ones, and she swore she saw him fidget in the periphery.

"Do you—do you remember what I asked you last night?"

She finally allowed a small giggle. "Not really. I don't think I remember much of last night at all. Seriously, what were those drinks? I don't think I'll ever allow Kakashi-sensei to pick the rounds ever again!"

A shadow of a grin passed across his face, seen but not seen, there but not. His eyes shifted to something to the left, his gaze unfocused.

She immediately sat up a little straighter, adjusting the collar of the pink robe she wore. Sasuke, staid and calm Sasuke, was fidgeting. Stuttering. He might even be blushing, just a bit.

"Sasuke," she said, pausing as his eyes flickered to meet hers before once again focusing on what she thought was her oven, "what is it?"

She swore she could see as something leave his eyes as he turned back toward her.

"Nothing. It was nothing, Sakura." She opened her mouth to protest—if he had brought it up over breakfast, when they were both feeling this bad, it must have been something—but he cut her off. "Hn. What are we doing today? Training?"

She made to protest again, and he shot her a look. Obviously, she wasn't going to get anything out of him. That was fine.

There were other ways to get the information she wanted.

* * *

_6 Weeks Later_

This mission sucked.

It was the only thought currently running through her brain. She could feel Naruto's breath release in a puff of air as he put her down, on her lovely soft bed, and she just let her mantra continue.

It was supposed to be so simple. _Of course, they are the ones that always go wrong_, she thought.

There had been a minor merchant in the north of Hi no Kuni that had been selling Konoha's weapons and their secrets to one of the other hidden villages. Selling ninja weapons to two different hidden villages was not, in itself, a crime, but he had been selling weapons that Konoha ninja had developed to complement their abilities, and when one of their own had ended up killed by a weapon that was supposedly only used by Konoha nin, it had become a very large issue.

He was easy to take out, but unfortunately, his bodyguards were not. Why did they always go for missing nin? It was one of life's unanswered questions, really.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt this badly, although she also couldn't remember the last time she was poisoned, so it probably went hand in hand. Did that make sense? She wasn't sure.

Everything was out of her system now, according to Shizune, but she still felt like shit and would for a few days. She could hear Naruto and Sasuke, now in the short hallway of her apartment, but the conversation was hushed. She couldn't understand any of the murmurs.

Her front door opened and closed again, the vibration running through the walls of the apartment, and she saw the shadowy shape in her doorway begin to morph into her teammate. There was little light in the bedroom, with the sun almost set, but just enough for her to see an outline of that crazy spiky hair that had become his trademark.

He stepped over something laying in the middle of the floor—_most likely your clothes_, her brain told her—and flicked on a small lamp that sat on her dresser. Then, he turned toward her and just stared.

It was starting to make her a bit uncomfortable, to be honest.

His gaze was locked with hers—drawing her in so completely that she couldn't pick up the slight hitch in his breathing every so often. Nor did she see the fine tremors running through his hands. Instead, all she could she was the darkness of his eyes, glittering in the soft light as his emotions were finally unleashed.

"What were you thinking, you foolish girl?" he snapped out harshly, his words quiet, matching the still atmosphere in the apartment.

_Girl?_

"I'm fully capable of making my own—"

"Shut up!" he hissed, stalking over to the bed and towering over her. It was unfair, really; movement wasn't something she had mastered yet, with the aftereffects of the poison. She was only able to lie there, following his movement with her head, and this was _not_ how she had envisioned spending her first night back home—

"I'm not a _girl_," she said, almost petulant.

"You're certainly not acting like an adult." He ran his hand through his black hair, turning away for just a moment. She saw his shoulders jerk, quickly, and when he turned back to her, he was composed.

"Never—do you hear me, Sakura—never, do that again." He eyes were hard, his gaze not leaving her own.

She shifted in the bed, trying to raise herself up. Her arms were shaking with the effort, but it was no use. She collapsed to the bed, weary, and just looked at him.

"Was I supposed to watch as it hit you? Was I supposed to just let him get you, in the back no less?" She was tired, in general and of the situation, and it showed in her voice.

"Yes," he snapped, "you were. I think you forget that Naruto and I can move much faster than you can. He would never have hit me, Sakura. But, no. You had to interfere, and get hurt in the process."

Huh. She had wondered why he hadn't unleashed anything on the way here, and now she knew. He was letting Naruto have his turn, planning to ambush her in the comfort and safety of her home.

Asshole.

"When I can protect my teammates—"

"_I don't need your protection!_" His near-scream reverberated throughout the still air in her apartment, shocking her. She tried to move backward, but lying down, all she did was end up that much more ensconced in her blankets.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, in disbelief. Rarely did he raise his voice. Even this new Sasuke wasn't that emotional, and he always tried to keep his cool. This, well, this was abnormal. There was tense silence as they stared at each other, his chest almost heaving from his attempts to control his emotions. But it wasn't working, and she could see it in his eyes.

"Are you saying you wouldn't have done the same for me?" she finally asked.

She saw the wariness in his eyes as soon as he comprehended what she had said. She knew he was trapped; if he admitted he thought she needed to be protected, he would get the beating of a lifetime when she was well. If he said he wouldn't have gotten hit again, he would be bragging, and still get a beating. And it was obvious, at least to her, that he wasn't sure what to say.

"Hn."

Tried and true; a Sasuke classic.

"_Annoying,_" he muttered, the fight gone out of him. She watched the muscles in his back shift under his shirt as he left the room.

She laid there, staring at the ceiling, listening as he shifted something around in one of her kitchen cupboards. Finally, she heard water running, and then he appeared in the doorway again. The soft light was casting shadow over the planes of his face, and she could barely see him.

"Here."

He put a glass of cool water on her nightstand, and then, hovered by the bed.

"Well, let me just grab it and enjoy getting this nasty taste out of my mouth," she said, amusement thick in her voice.

He turned toward her closet, and she could have sworn there was a ghost of a smile on his face. But he turned back toward her, his face once again a mask of calm, and sat down on the edge of the bed. One of his arms went under her shoulders, and she could feel the sinew and tissue move as he lifted her up. He brought the glass to her lips, letting her drink slowly.

When she was done, he put the glass back on the nightstand and rearranged her on the bed, slowly and easily. Blankets were pulled up, her hair was brushed out of her face. He leaned over her—_oh, doesn't someone actually smell nice, must have had time to grab a shower while I was unconscious_—and grabbed the second pillow. His eyes rested on her face again, before he turned to claim his normal spot, her couch.

"I'll be in the living room, if you need anything." She heard his footfalls continue down the hallway, traces of his muttering trailing behind him.

She grinned, then her eyes widened comically as her face showed the shock she was finally feeling.

_What the HELL was that?_

* * *

_2 Weeks Later_

Things with Sasuke had been…different…since her almost death a few weeks ago.

He kept shooting her odd looks when he thought she wasn't looking, and sometimes she would notice him in random places, places he would never have gone, as if he was following her. Most of the time, she would open her door at night and he was there, with food or dessert or just sake, as if he was trying to stay in the front of her mind.

It was driving her nuts.

He wasn't talking much, not that he ever did, but he was talking less than he used to. Instead, the nights she found him at her doorstep were filled with awkward silence and the feeling that something was waiting to be said. Quite a few times, she would look at him and see him forming words he never said. He would pretend it never happened later, but there was something hanging over him that he couldn't put out in the open.

They hadn't rehashed the conversation—argument really—they had the night she was injured, and neither had brought up the tense discussion the next morning.

Sasuke had asked her to quit ANBU. As if.

No reason was given, no explanation, just an expectation that she would do as he said. He was proven wrong quickly, though, and she continued to hold her own with the team she couldn't picture deserting again. Seriously, Naruto was already down and out due to Kage duty; did he think she would leave him and Kakashi? That entire day had been tense, with him scowling in her direction all hours and continually telling her how to run her life. She had finally snapped that night; he had helped her to the living room and, after another sly suggestion that the hospital would appreciate having her full time, she told him to butt out. It worked, but only just.

Whatever was bothering him, she knew it involved her. It had to. He was acting too strange. If Naruto had done something stupid, he would have just said so.

She had mentioned it to Reno one day, when Sasuke was busy doing paperwork in the tower and not hovering in her general vicinity like a crazy stalker. The redhead had sighed, patted her on the head, and told her she was a moron. She hadn't seen him since, but she was sure he still had the bump on his head that she had given him. Kakashi had grinned in much the same way, although she couldn't see it because of the mask. He hadn't even said a word, just given her a look and continued on with his reading.

Her aunt's reaction was somewhat similar. When she visited earlier this week, catching up on everything going on with her cousins and checking up on her extended family, the subject had been broached again. Her aunt had just smiled at her, the queer little grin all sly and secretive, and told her to 'talk to the boy.'

Well, that was the plan.

She had worked a small shift today—her chakra was still not back to normal yet—and when she worked he brought dinner over after. He was the best nurse she had ever had, really, even if he was a surly stubborn bastard.

She made sure the apartment was tidy, set out plates and cups and chopsticks, and had everything prepared. She even made a dessert for them to enjoy, hoping that food would mean he stayed put at the table long enough for her to get to the bottom of everything. For some reason, she had even primped. She had changed out of her med-nin outfit, throwing on a comfortable yet stylish pair of black pencil pants and a loose, almost indecent—at least where cleavage was concerned—red top that Misaki had forced her to buy a few weeks before. She hadn't liked it at first, but she was comfortable in it, and going for the "wow" factor tonight.

All to make him talk, of course. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

She knew there was an attraction—feelings, even—between the two of them, especially on her side. He had been the one boy she could never forget, no matter how hard she tried. And this new Sasuke, well, she was pretty sure she loved him. Not like she would ever tell _him_ that, of course.

Occasionally, she had gotten the impression that this might not be as one-sided as she thought, then the surly man returned to normal and she remembered why she hadn't ever brought it up. Rejection loomed large in the back of her mind, a large ghost in her psyche, and she feared it as much as she had when she was a teen.

Either way, this wasn't a date. He would show up still in his unit issue, and she would not kiss him, or anything silly like that. This was warfare, the strategic use of boobs as weapons for information.

It worked on Naruto.

She puttered about the apartment, keeping her hands busy while she waited for the telltale knock on her door. Some dusting, some laundry, there was always something to do.

She was startled from rearranging a few books that were out of place on her bookshelf when he finally showed up. The first set of knocks on the hard wood startled her, and she stood, startled and still, in her living room. The second set knocked her out of the stupor she was in, chased away her doubts about what she was going to do tonight, and she moved to open the door.

He was still in uniform, although the white vest was missing, and he had two bags of food dangling from his left hand. She moved aside to let him enter, and they made their way silently to the kitchen.

Dinner was laid out amongst chatter—_how was your shift? Oh, fine, yours? I'm so tired of paperwork_—and they dug into the yakitori, rice, and steamed vegetables in front of them.

Dinner passed quietly, as was usual for them, although she told him about the newest case she had taken on and the little nin from the academy that had somehow managed to spear his own hand with his kunai.

She was getting nervous.

It was one thing to pump herself up and tell herself this was going to happen, that she was finally going to make him give her some answers or _he would pay_ and another to actually do it. By the time she was putting a plate of sticky sweet dessert buns in front of him with a cup of coffee, she had almost stopped talking, which meant they were eating in silence. He rarely made small talk.

"Sasuke?"

He 'hn-ed' without looking up from the sweet bun he was attempting to cut into pieces—_couldn't he even eat like a normal person?_—and she bit her lip.

"What's going on?"

She saw his eyes shift nervously, even though his hair was still hanging down, hiding his face. "I don't know what you mean, Sakura," he muttered.

She huffed, crossing her arms and staring at him in what Naruto called the 'mom' pose. There was silence for a few very long moments, and finally he sighed wearily, setting his chopsticks down slowly and carefully on the dessert plate. One hand came up and he rubbed his eyes. Finally, he just looked at her, no deep stare or penetrating gaze. He just…looked at her.

"Well?"

"Can we not talk about this right now? It's been a long day—"

Her fist slammed down onto the table, rattling the dishes and causing a small amount of coffee to splash out of her cup. His eyes shot to hers, his disbelief evident. She leaned forward, getting as close to him as she could sitting in her chair, across the table.

"No. I want to talk _now._"

"You're acting like a child."

"_Now,_ Sasuke."

He sighed again, something she was getting really tired of, and got up from the table. She watched him pick up both of their plates and set them in the sink before he came to a stop right next to her.

She could feel his breath moving her hair.

"Living room, then." She followed him and sat in the corner of the couch, watching as his agitation began to really show. He was pacing in front of the wooden table, a hand grasping at the hair on the side of his head. Finally, he stopped, turned towards her, and his eyes closed.

"I really want you to quit ANBU."

Her jaw dropped. Yet again, back to this? She was so tired of this subject, she thought it was done, but this was the problem?

"Sasuke, I won't quit. I already told you that." He nodded, pacing again. "Why is this such a big deal to you? You've been injured, I've been injured, even Naruto's been injured. _It happens_. It's never been an issue before—"

"Sakura, I—" he stopped, looking at her, and his eyes almost begged for a pass for this conversation. But she just sat there, staring, waiting. She made sure he knew what she expected; they were going to hash this out now. "—I—of course, you've been _injured._" He huffed out a breath. "But I had to carry you back as you _died_, Sakura. You were _dying_. That is completely different."

"That's what this is about?" she asked, quietly.

"Of course it is!" The agitation she had noticed earlier-_god, his emotions are all over the map_—finally exploded out of him. "I had to watch you die! I had listen to your heart fail, I was _covered_ in your _fucking blood!_"

She straightened, startled.

"Do you know how that felt? Do you have any idea?" He stalked around the table and jerked her up off the couch, holding her arms close to her body, not allowing her to move. His face was so close to her she swore she could see the red of the Sharingan lurking behind the onyx. "I came back here, and you weren't here. I find you when I'm sent to _kill you_, and we finally get you back, and I think things can be how they should be, because you're here, and I'm here, and we're finally getting along and we've both _grown up._ And then you pull a stupid stunt like trying to _protect me_ when I should be the one protecting you—don't you _dare_ argue with me!"

Her mouth snapped shut.

"I watched the woman I _love_ as she died in my arms, you annoying woman! _I won't do it again._"

He jerked her to him, and his kiss was bruising. The red eyes in her vision were hidden behind his eyelids, the Sharingan that had surfaced with his anger. Slowly her eyes closed, and she melted against him, her hands coming up to grip his neck as his finally loosened around her arms and moved to caress her back.

She opened her mouth as his tongue prodded her lips, and the kiss deepened. It felt so right, finally.

So much for rejection.

They finally parted, both gasping for breath, and his eyes were still Sharingan red, instead of blistering onyx. She smiled, a tiny grin as she blushed and glanced up at him coyly. He shook his head, once again the ghost a smile crossed his face, and he pulled her to him again.

Everything would be alright, apparently.

_Although_, Sakura thought, _they would still have to settle this ANBU issue_. But it could wait.

* * *

And that's the end, finally! Thank God I finished. There's more of the chapter on , the mature part, but that's all that's extra.

Once again, thanks to those who read an reviewed! I hope you enjoyed it!


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